Class 

Book i_l 



3 15 



V 

I 



WILD SCENES 



SOUTH AMERICA; 



LIFE IN THE LLANOS OF VENEZUELA. 



DOX RAMON PAEZ. 



NIHIL AliDUCH MORTALIBTTS.' 



SECOND EDITION. 



NEW YORK: 
CHARLES SORIBNER, 124 GRAND STREET. 
LONDON: SAMPSON LOW, SON & CO. 
1863. 




" Y groycs van sin cuento 
Paciendo tu verdura desdc cl llano 
Que tiene por lindcro el horizonte, 
llasta cl erguido monte 
De inaccesible nievc siempre cano." 

Andkes Bello, Silva a la Zona Tlrrida. 



EnloTcd, according to act of 'Congress, in the year 1SG2, by 

CHAELES SCKIBNEE, 

In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the United States for the Southern 
District of New York. 



JOHN F. TROW, 

PRINTER, STEREOTYPE!!, AND ELECTROTYPER, 

48 & 50 Greene Street, 
New York. 




ro 

MY YOUNG FRIEND, 

EDWARD B. KETCHUM, ESQ., 

THESE PAGES, 
ORIGINALLY WRITTEN FOR HIS ESPECIAL AMUSEMENT, ARE 

Mfctionatdg DeMcattft, 

AS A TOKEN OF THE HIGH REGARD ENTERTAINED FOR HIM AND 
HIS ESTIMABLE FAMILY BY 
THE AUTHOR. 



PREFACE. 



It was my lot several years ago — I need not state how 
many — to be brought forth into this world amid the wild 
scenes which I propose to describe. Later in life I was 
fortunate enough to be sent by my parents to England, for the 
purpose of finishing my education under the tuition of the 
learned fathers at the College of Stonyhurst. "While there, 
I had the pleasure of making the acquaintance of the inimi- 
table author of " "Wanderings in South America," Charles 
Waterton, Esq., who years before had also been an inmate 
of that celebrated institution, and whose book became at once 
my favorite study, on account of the graphic descriptions it 
contains of animals and objects with which I was already 
familiar. The works of the distinguished traveller, Baron 
von Humboldt, who first made those regions known to the 
civilized world, next afforded me an endless source of scien- 
tific enjoyment, developing in me an early taste for the 
natural history and physical wonders of my native land. 



vi 



TREFACE. 



On my return home, I immediately turned my steps 
toward 

" Those matted woods 

Where crouching tigers wait their hapless prey," 

anxious to study nature in her own sanctuary ; but, owing 
to the unfortunate state of affairs in the country, I did not 
enjoy long my cherished dreams of exploring it through all its 
extent. Sufficient information was, however, obtained in my 
rambles through the plains, to enlarge upon a subject scarcely 
touched upon by travellers. 

Thus from my earliest days have I been associated with 
the scenes forming the text of the present narrative, which 
I venture to lay before the public, trusting more in the indul- 
gence and characteristic generosity of the Anglo-Saxon race 
toward foreigners, than in my own ability to fulfil the 
arduous undertaking. But I must be here permitted to 
return my most sincere thanks to Mr. Alexander Cotheal and 
other friends, for the pains they have taken in weeding the 
manuscript of many imperfections in the language. To Mr. 
Frederick Melby, a Danish artist of great merit, who, not long 
since, visited the Llanos and various other parts of Vene- 
zuela, I am also indebted for his kindness in placing at my 
disposal his valuable collection of sketches : from these, and 
from others taken by myself during my journeys, Monsieur 
V. Nehlig has been enabled to produce the accompanying 
illustrations with singular fidelity to the subject. 



Ytzvr York. August. 1SC2. 





\j KJ IN 1 Sh 1\ ± o . 




CHAP. 




PAGE 


I. 


The Departure, .... 


.' . 1 


II. 


The Morros, ..... 


16 


III. 


The Llanos, ..... 


26 


IV. 


The Llaneros, . . . • . 


40 


V. 


Scenes at the Fishery, 


. 57 


VI. 


Wild Horses, ..... 


74 


VII 


Across the Pampas, .... 


. 85 


VIII. 


La Portuguesa, ..... 


99 


IX. 


The Apure River, .... 


. 116 


X. 


Savannas op Apure, : 


133 


XI. 


El Frio, . 


. 148 


XII. 


Birds of III Omen and Carrion Hawks, 


1G3 


XIII. 


The Rodeo, ..... 


. 175 


XIV. 


Branding Scenes, ..... 


189 


XV. 


Plants and Snakes, .... 


. 202 


XVI. 


Tiger Stories, . . . . * 


222 


XVII. 


Shooting Adventures, 


. 238 


XVIII. 


Mata Totumo, ..... 


251 


XIX. 


Matiyure, ..... 


. 267 


XX. 


The Cimarronera, ..... 


280 


XXI. 


Los Borales, ..... 


. 289 


XXII. 


Incidents of the War of Independence, 


302 


XXIII. 


Incidents of the War of Independence, . 


. 319 



viii 


CONTEXTS. 






CHAP. 






PAGE 


XXIV. 


Scenes at the Pass op Apurito. 


. 


335 


XXV. 


Calabozo, . 




. 348 


XXVI. 


Caracas, ..... 




361 


XXVII. 


Monagas, . 




. 373 


XXVIII. 


Maracaibo, .... 




388 


XXIX. 


The Goajiros, . 




. 404 


XXX. 


A Cruise ix the Caribbean' Sea, 




417 


XXXI. 


Ho ! for Maracaibo, 




. 435 


XXXII. 


Paez, . . . 




454 


XXXIII. 


The Exile, . 




. 479 



LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. 



PAGE 

1. Frontispiece — Stampede of Wild Horses. 

2. Morros de Ban Juan, . . . . . .19 

3. Pounding Corn, ..... 36 

4. The Caribe, . . . . , . 63 

5. The Electric Eel, ...... 68 

6. Troop of Wild Horses on the Alert, . . . . 74 

7. Across the Pampas, ..... 90 

8. Encounter with a Crocodile, . , . . .113 

9. The Saman, . . . . . .122 

10. The Manatee, . . . . . . .162 

11. The Rodeo, ....... 175 

12. Branding Scenes, ...... 189 

13. Training the Boys, ...... 200 

14. Aristolochia Apurensis, ..... 219 

15. The Jaguar, ...... 222 

16. Garzoncando, ....... 242 

17. The Armadillo, . . . . . .245 

18. Llanero Encampment, ..... 247 

19. The Great Ant-Eater, . . . . .257 

20. Young Crocodile, . . . . . .269 

21. Crocodile Basking in the Sun, .... 278 

22. Capture of Spanish Gunboats by Llanci o Cavalry, . 322 



X LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. 

PAGE 

23. Ferrying the Cattle across the Apure, . . . 335 

24. Dr. Gallegos Sewing the Belly of a Wounded Horse, . . 338 

25. Homeward Bound, ...... 345 

26. Caracas, .• . . . . . 365 

27. Borders of the Lake of Ma racaibo, .... 395 

28. The Saw-fish, . . . . . . .396 

29. The Tapir, . . . . . 398 
SO. The Bonito, . . . . . . .422 

31. The Dolphin, . '.. . , 423 

32. The Sword-fish, . . . . . .425 

33. The Butterfly Flower, . . . 431 

34. Belisario, . . ... . . .441 



WILD SCENES IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



CHAPTER L 

THE DEPARTURE. 

On a fine morning in the month of December of 
the year 1846, a jolly cavalcade, or rather heteroge- 
neous assemblage from the various castes composing 
the bulk of the population in the Venezuelan Re- 
public, was to be seen traversing the streets of the 
beautiful town of Maracay, in the direction of the 
road leading to the Llanos or Pampas of Apure, a 
region widely celebrated for its wildness, its dangers, 
and the many exploits enacted therein. There the 
father of the writer owned extensive cattle farms, and 
the aforesaid company proposed spending the remain- 
der of the summer season in hunting among the un- 
tamed herds constituting the wealth and commerce 
of that wild region. 

I shall never forget the exciting scenes of that 
eventful day ; it forms one of the most pleasing epi- 
sodes of my life. Full well do I remember also the 
picturesqueness of the variegated costumes of the 



2 



WILD SCENES IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



riders ; their red and blue ponchos flowing in the 
wind as they cantered to and fro through the unusu- 
ally animated streets of the little town, taking leave 
of their friends, and provisioning their saddle-bags 
with the necessaries they required ; the trampling 
and neighing of horses ; the parting adieux and wav- 
ing of handkerchiefs in the hands of lively brunettes, 
as we defiled under the windows and balconies of the 
Calle Heal, crowded with anxious relatives, friends, 
and sweethearts of many a gallant cavalier, who 
might never return from his distant and perilous 
journey. For my part, I confess, that although for 
sundry reasons I regretted departing from our roman- 
tic abode in the valleys of Aragua, still, so great was 
my desire to visit the land of the wild bull and croco- 
dile, that for several nights before leaving home I 
dreamed of nothing but wild scenes and terrible en- 
counters with the lords of the savannas. 

The method of conducting a South American 
cattle farm is entirely different from that usually 
practised among the more peaceful scenes of the 
North American prairies. Here the cattle, accus- 
tomed from their birth to the friendly voice of man, 
readily obey his commands and follow him instinc- 
tively wherever he leads them. In the plains of 
South America, on the contrary, the herds hear no 
other than the voice of Nature in her sublimest 
moods, in the thunders of the storm, and when in 
her vernal showers she calls upon the crocodiles and 
other drowsy reptiles, awakening them from their 
periodical summer's lethargy ; and nightly the roar 
and screams of savage beasts answering each other in 



THE DEPARTURE. 



3 



the darkness. The cattle, thus roaming over exten- 
sive plains, and free of all restraint, necessarily require 
to be occasionally collected together for the purpose 
of branding and marking the young calves, which in- 
crease there with astonishing rapidity. If this pre- 
caution were neglected, they would in time become 
so dispersed over those boundless plains, as to be al- 
together irreclaimable. This operation cannot be ac- 
complished, however, without a great number of men 
and horses, both well trained to and thoroughly ac- 
quainted with this demi-savage occupation. There- 
fore we mustered now quite a little army of Llane- 
ros, or natives of the Llanos, who are the only indi- 
viduals capable of prosecuting and successfully per- 
forming the arduous duties appertaining to these cat- 
tle forays. 

Our retinue presented pretty much the appearance 
of an oriental caravan ; it consisted of more than a 
hundred individuals of all grades and colors ; from 
the bright, rubicund faces of merry England's sons, 
to the jetty phiz of the native African, all of whom, 
notwithstanding, fraternized as though sprung from 
the same race. 

Our company, moreover, had been organized as 
if for a military campaign, and formed the nucleus of 
a more extensive camp, to be increased by additions 
from different places along the route. The leader — 
General Paez — besides having acquired in early life 
a practical knowledge of this peculiar warfare, pos- 
sessed in addition the rare gift of being — in the opin- 
ion of many — " the first rider in South America," 



4 



WILD SCENES IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



and withal the most accomplished Llanero in the Re- 
public. His dispositions were accordingly made in 
a manner most likely to insure success in this strange 
campaign ; passing in review every person and every 
object, with as scrupulous care as he bestowed upon 
the legions under his command in the long strife for 
his country's freedom ; distributing each particular 
horse with reference to the skill and special duties of 
his rider, and every load according to the strength of 
each beast of burden. 

Next in importance to the Leader was a Surgeon 
and Physician, whose valuable services were to be 
frequently called into requisition. Although we were 
not now to encounter powder and ball, we had to 
deal with no less dangerous enemies in the form of 
wild bulls, snakes, and crocodiles, without reckoning 
the pestiferous marshes of the country. 

After our Surgeon came the Treasurer ; his duty 
was to conduct safely the military chest of the expe- 
dition, consisting of sundry bags of hard dollars, pon- 
chos, checkered linen handkerchiefs of the peculiar 
pattern worn with so much pride by Llaneros on the 
head, knives, sword blades, and various other articles 
of barter which they prize more than money itself, 
and for the attainment of which they labor hard and 
even expose their lives. 

To me was assigned the honorable post of Secre- 
tary to the expedition, whose pleasant duty was to 
keep its records, and at times those of the political 
u Bulls and Bears " of the country at large. At- 
tached to this office were an English amateur of wild 
sports, an English artist of considerable merit, and a 



THE DEPARTURE. 



5 



few others, who, like myself, not being sufficiently 
trained to the hard operations of the field, were forced 
to be content with the tamer occupations of the cattle 
farm, and only an occasional foray among the smaller 
game of the savannas. 

I will mention two other individuals, who, al- 
though filling less exalted positions than the preced- 
ing — being the cook and the washerman — were very 
necessary to our comfort ; not that we felt over-scru- 
pulous with regard to the dressing of either ourselves 
or that of the savory dishes of the Llanos — where I 
relished a beafsteak au naturel with as much gusto 
as though prepared by the Delmonicos or Maillards 
of JSTew York — but an early cup of coffee was a lux- 
ury not to be despised, and an occasional scouring of 
our scanty wardrobe was equally an essential. The 
cook was a mulatto by birth, whose name — Monico — 
bore some similarity to that of the distinguished 
caterer of William street, and was as great a favorite 
with us as the latter is among the " down town " 
gentry of the great city, not only on account of his 
good nature and skill in the preparation of the deli- 
cious beverage before mentioned, 

" que en los festines 
La fiebre insana templara a Lieo," 

but also for the aid he lent his companions in mend- 
ing their tattered garments, being as accomplished a 
tailor and shoemaker as cook. Gaspar, the washer- 
man, was a lame negro rather advanced in years, but 
with all the vivacity of his race still sparkling in his 
eyes. He had earned some reputation in his time as 
a brave soldier during the protracted war of Inde- 



6 



WILD SCENES IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



pendence, but, disabled now by a bullet and sundry 
tiger scars, testimonials of his good service in the 
cause of humanity, could perform no other work than 
the rather feminine one allotted to him on this occa- 
sion. He, however, possessed other accomplishments, 
among which the chief was that of recounting his ad- 
ventures in the wars and with the wild beasts of the 
field, which made him a desirable companion and 
general favorite. 

Poor fellows ! they are both dead, and their bones, 
as well as those of most of that little band of heroes, 
are now bleaching in the hot sun of the tropics, 
amid the waving grass of those savannas once ren- 
dered famous by their deeds of valor and enlivened 
by their chivalrous songs. After faithfully following 
their leader through dangers and hardships no less 
terrible than those of the battle-field, one by one they 
fell, not by foe " in battle arrayed," nor the terrible 
stroke of the wild bull, but by the assassin's treach- 
erous hand, and those of the unprincipled myrmidon 
of military misrule ; not because of their political in- 
fluence in the councils of the Nation, but for being 
the faithful followers of their beloved Chieftain. 

The reader has now been introduced to those con- 
stituting the Staff of the expedition ; but in addition 
a host of attendants and idlers formed the rank and 
file of this motley assemblage. Each one of these had 
a special duty to perform. Some were asistentes, or 
the personal attendants of the former, as no Uanco 
ventures to travel in the Llanos without some cicerone 
of the country to guide him over the trackless wastes, 
to saddle his horse, and see that both horse and rider 



THE DEPARTURE. 



7 



are comfortably quartered for the night. Others were 
appointed to conduct the beasts of burden, of which 
there were a formidable array ; while the most ex- 
perienced riders were intrusted with the care and 
guidance of our madrina, or pack of supernumerary 
horses, which formed by far the most efficient ele- 
ment of our expedition. 

Our drove consisted of about two hundred spirited 
chargers, as swift and slim as any that ever tramped 
the hot sands of Yemen or the Sahara ; these were to 
be reinforced with fresh relays from the cattle farms, 
to supply the place of those which might be carried 
oif from various causes during those exciting hunts. 

The only method of travelling as yet adopted in 
the country is on horseback. This is at first somewhat 
fatiguing to those unaccustomed to long journeys ; 
but the traveller soon becomes inured to it, and ends 
by preferring it to any other, on account of the exhil- 
arating sensation of independence he experiences ; at 
all events, it is the most convenient that can be adopted 
in a country which, like the Pampas, is subject to 
vast inundations, and overgrown in all its extent by 
the rank herbage of the savannas. On the mountains, 
mules are usually preferred for their surefootedness, 
as also for their astonishing endurance of hunger and 
fatigue ; but in the Pampas, where journeys must be 
accomplished with great expedition and rapidity, they 
are comparatively worthless from the shortness of 
their gait, and also because their hoofs become soft- 
ened by the marshy soil which everywhere prevails, 
they being never shod, owing to a mistaken notion 
of the riders, who believe that by so doing the sure- 



8 



WILD SCENES IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



footedness of the animal is impaired. The best horses, 
consequently, had been selected on this occasion, but 
were not to be saddled until we reached the Llanos. 
These were all collected into a madrina or drove, to- 
gether with the vaqueros or horses destined for the 
chase, and placed under the charge of half a dozen 
experienced Llaneros, who were to drive them loose 
across the country. In the mean time we would per- 
form on mules the first four days of our journey, 
which lay across the rough and hilly country be- 
tween the valleys and the plains. As beasts of bur- 
den, mules are particularly serviceable ; in view of 
this we had collected a pack of about twenty for the 
purpose of transporting our loads, consisting partly, 
as I have observed, of various descriptions of goods 
for distribution among the Llaneros, in part payment 
of their wages ; but the greater number were laden 
with our own chattels and provisions ; for although 
the Llanos are justly regarded as a land of plenty, the 
habitations are yet so widely distant, that it is expe- 
dient to provide for all contingencies. 

Our road, at times, lay across extensive fields of 
sugar cane, indigo, and tobacco ; or through vast 
plantations of Erithynas (fiucarales) raised for the 
protection of the shade-loving Cacao trees, loaded 
with the luscious bean that yields its " divine food " * 
to gods and mortals. At other times, extensive tracks 
of waste lands (rastrojos) overgrown with a luxuriant 
vegetation, intercepted the line of our march, giving 

* Linnaeus, in his enthusiasm for the delightful beverage obtained from 
the cacao bean, named the plant that produces it theobroma — food for 
the gods. 



THE DEPARTURE. 



9 



the country a wild and desolate aspect. Land is so 
cheap and plentiful in Venezuela, that it is always 
more advantageous for the planter, whenever the 
land has become exhausted with repeated cultivation, 
to clear a new patch of ground for his crop, than to 
trouble himself about restoring to the ground by ar- 
tificial means what nature will provide in the course 
of time. The rapidity with which a patch of waste 
land, that only a year or two before had been aban- 
doned as unserviceable, becomes covered with an ex- 
uberant vegetation in the tropics, is quite extraordi- 
nary. Hardly have the plough and hoe of the indus- 
trious husbandman ceased to harass the land with 
their incessant toil, when an entirely different crop 
of indigenous plants, which had been silently strug- 
gling for existence, now make their appearance, and 
change the aspect of the landscape with new forms 
of vegetation. Insignificant weeds at first, scarcely 
worth noticing, they soon attain sufficient strength to 
arrest the progress of any stragglers that might have 
remained of the plantation. In a short time they 
have acquired the size and form of well-developed 
trees, with boughs spreading far above a man on 
horseback ; and before two summers have elapsed, 
not a vestige remains of what was once a flourishing 
plantation. An endless variety of creepers, such as 
convolvulus, bignonias, and passion flowers, now find 
support among their numerous branches, forming 
with them the most picturesque bowers and arcades, 
or hanging by their sides in graceful garlands and 
festoons of the most exquisite beauty. Our troop of 
supernumerary horses, as if unwilling to leave behind 
1* 



10 



WILD SCENES IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



these delightful retreats, did not fail to profit by the 
tangled nature of the cover, frequently eluding the 
vigilance of the drivers, and dashing forward when- 
ever they saw an opening to decamp. The most 
skilful management on the part of the drivers was 
then required to disentangle them from the thick 
jungle ; otherwise we should have arrived at the end 
of our journey with less than half their number. It 
was quite amusing to see those reckless fellows glid- 
ing here and there through the tangled woods in full 
pursuit of the refractory animals, now hanging from 
one leg down the sides of their steeds, or stretched 
over their necks to avoid being lifted from the saddle 
by the intervening branches. In spite of all precau- 
tion, and the vigilance of their drivers, we missed 
several valuable hunters in the course of the journey, 
every one of which made his way back to the potreros 
or old grazing grounds with unerring precision. So 
remarkable is this peculiarity in horses of one place 
driven across a strange country, and the cunning 
they display in effecting their escape, that although 
we left instructions along the route to secure all de- 
serters, most of those we missed at a considerable 
distance from Maracay, made their way back across 
the fields, avoiding in their flight the public roads 
and populated districts through which we had passed. 

Late in the evening we reached San Luis de Cura, 
a town of some importance on our route. Although 
we had there many friends of whose hospitality we 
could have availed ourselves, we preferred passing 
the night at a Pulperia, or country inn, a short dis- 
tance in advance — hotels being yet unknown in that 



THE DEPARTURE. 



11 



part of the country. Our numerous retinue, and 
especially our horses, accustomed to the unrestrained 
freedom of the potrero — an enclosed field attached to 
the Pulperia — precluded all idea of seeking accom- 
modations within the narrow limits of a city residence. 
Declining, therefore, all invitations to that effect, we 
pushed on to a place called El Rodeo, a few miles 
further. 

San Luis de Cura — or Yilla de Cura, as it is 
usually called — is a sort of entrepot to which the 
people of the Llanos resort from time to time to bar- 
ter the products of their farms for those of foreign 
manufacture, retailed there by country traders. It 
is, in fact, the connecting link between the agricul- 
tural and pastoral sections of the republic ; hence we 
find there the strongest admixture of wild and civil- 
ized manners and costumes curiously intermingled in 
all the pursuits and vocations of the people. Thus we 
often meet with persons of respectability clad in the 
elegant city dress, and riding a horse entirely capar- 
isoned in the gaudy attire of the Llanos, and vice 
versa. 

Our accommodations at the inn were not of the 
most inviting description, neither its apartments nor 
the potrero affording much comfort to the weary car- 
avan after their long ride. A stony bank on the 
slope of the barren hill for couch and the broad dome 
of heaven for roof, with not even posts enough from 
which to sling our hammocks, was all the hospitality 
we received at the Pulperia. We slept soundly not- 
withstanding, softening our beds of pebbles by spread- 
ing our ponchos over them, while each man's saddle, 



12 



WILD SCENES IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



serving at once as pillow and larder, furnished us 
with supper on this occasion. The llanero sad- 
dle is admirably adapted for the rough journeys of 
the country, and though somewhat ponderous, ren- 
ders good service to the wandering Llanero in his 
long peregrinations. These saddles, usually styled 
vaqueras, in allusion to the occupations of the riders, 
appear to be modelled after the gay accoutrements of 
the Arabs ; the same profusion of silver ornament and 
bright-colored trimmings of morocco, the high peak 
in front, and still higher cantle behind. A comfort- 
able pellon or shabrack, made either of an entire 
sheepskin or horse hair dyed black and neatly braided 
at one end, covers the entire seat, and hangs from it 
in graceful folds. Numbers of bags and pockets — 
holsas — made of the same material as the saddle, and 
in keeping with the rest, are affixed to it for the pur- 
pose of stowing away all those little commodities so 
essential to the traveller on a long journey, such as 
papelon, a sort of brown sugar in cakes resembling 
maple sugar, cheese, cakes of Indian corn, and aguar- 
diente, a beverage equally celebrated for its use and 
its abuse. The stirrups, which are usually carved from 
a block of wood, present the peculiarity of being 
longer and heavier than any ever adopted by eques- 
trians. Although termed africanos, they are just the 
reverse of their cognomens, as can be seen by com- 
paring the subjoined designs. 

An expert rider never places his whole foot in the 
stirrup, as is the case with the Arabs, but holds it 
with his big toe, so as to disentangle himself readily 
in case of a fall. This habit gives a crooked shape to 



THE DEPARTURE. 



13 



the feet and legs of the rider, which peculiarity en- 
titles him to the credit of being a good horseman. 




The carvings on some of these stirrups are very 
fanciful, and display considerable taste. Their beauty 
is thought to consist chiefly in the two triangular ap- 
pendages at the bottom with which they urge on their 
horses. 

The cobija or poncho is also a most indispensable 
commodity on these loDg journeys ; and no traveller 
should omit providing himself with one, especially 
during the rainy season. It is fully six feet square, 
with a hole in the centre to admit the head, and its 
office is twofold, viz., to protect the rider and his 
cumbrous equipment from the heavy showers and 
dews of the tropics, and to spread under him when 
there is no convenience for slinging the hammock. 
It also serves as a protection from the scorching rays 
of the sun, experience having taught its wearer that 
a thick woollen covering keeps the body moist and 
cool by day, and warm by night. The poncho used 
in Venezuela is made double, by sewing together two 
different blankets, the outside one being dark blue 
and the inner one bright red, which colors, as is well 
known, are differently acted upon by light and heat. 
By exposing alternately the sides of the poncho to 



WILD SCENES IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



the light according to the state of the weather, those 
modifications of temperature most agreeable to the 
body are obtained. Thus, when the day is damp and 
cloudy, the dark side of the poncho, which absorbs 
the most heat, is turned towards the light, while the 
reverse is the case when the red surface is presented 
to the sun. On the same principle, the manta, or 
white linen poncho, is worn when the sun is very 
powerful, the color in this instance repelling the rays 
of light more readily than the red surface of woollen 
materials. The manta is a very expensive luxury on 
account of the embroideries that usually decorate it, 
and which might rival in elegance the finest skirt 
of a Kew York or Parisian belle. "When worn by a 
gallant cavalier on a sunny day, it presents in the 
distance a very picturesque appearance, not unlike 
the graceful bornouse of the Arabs. 

Equally useful and expensive is the hammock, one 
of the few articles of native manufacture produced in 
Yenezuela, and one which has thus far baffled the 
ingenuity of foreign weavers to imitate. It is woven 
by hand on looms of rude construction in very tasteful 
designs, and trimmed with fringings of the most com- 
plicated pattern. A fine hammock costs from fifty 
to sixty dollars. 

It may truly be said that with hammock, poncho, 
and the saddle with its array of pockets, &c, the 
roving dwellers of the pampas are at home wherever 
they may be. They are, in fact, the tent, bed, and 
valise best adapted to the country, affording them all 
the comfort that a princely rajah could experience 
under his gorgeous panoply of oriental magnificence, 



THE DEPARTURE. 



15 



and possessing, moreover, the advantage of being 
easily conveyed from place to place, in a small compass, 
by the riders. The hammock and the poncho usu- 
ally form a bundle behind the saddle ; with them the- 
traveller makes himself a tent when camping out, 
by stretching out a rope from end to end of the ham- 
mock, over which the poncho is thrown at oblique 
angles, and then tied securely to the rope. Under it , 
the traveller may now defy the storm, and even Old 
Boreas himself, as the stronger the tent is impelled to 
and fro, the more lulling to the sleeper will be the 
motion imparted to it from the outside. 

It is surprising to see a horse of so small stature as 
those from the Llanos generally are, carry on his 
back both the weight of the rider and his ponderous 
equipment for such considerable distances ; but the 
fact is, that the loads are so well distributed and 
counterbalanced, that the animals feel no material in- 
convenience therefrom. 



CHAPTER n. 



THE M O E E O S . 

Eaely the next morning we were aroused by the 
trampling of horses and tinkling of stirrups close to 
our resting places, apprising us that the hour of de- 
parture was near at hand. To travel with comfort in 
those hot regions, it is necessary to make the most of 
the absence of the sun, before its rays descend to the 
earth in glowing streams, parching the body and 
spirits of the traveller. Our people, therefore, com- 
menced to saddle and load as early as three o'clock 
a. m. The operation usually occupied considerable 
time, as each animal had to be hunted in the dark, as 
well as its accoutrements. The baggage mules, espe- 
cially, required more than ordinary skill in replacing 
and adjusting the loads upon their backs by means of a 
hundred turns of the lasos, or raw-hide halters. And 
even after the greatest precautions, the vicious creatures 
endeavored to displace their loads by running against 
each other or rolling on the ground, to the inconceiv- 
able disgust of the drivers, who were often compelled 
to alight from their sumpters to put things to rights. 

Our road lay this day across a wild and desolate 
valley, presenting the appearance of having once been 



THE MORROS. 



17 



the scene of violent convulsions of nature, judging 
from the distorted masses of granite and gneiss piled 
along the route. The morning, though moonless, was 
bright with stars, which in those latitudes sparkle like 
diamonds in a setting of azure. The air was balmy ; 
and the solitude of the spot, only broken by the occa- 
sional shriek of a night owl, or the refreshing murmur 
of a mountain stream, was truly sublime. 

Slowly winding our course down the rugged sides 
of a deep ravine, we came suddenly in view of a most 
glorious spectacle. The delicate tints of dawn were 
already gilding the rugged crest of the distant moun- 
tains ; above these rose in silent grandeur what ap- 
peared at first a heavy cloud of an intense blue, the 
irregular outlines of which set in bold relief against 
the transparent sky, forming the background to the 
picture. I eagerly spurred my mule forward to gain 
an eminence from whence I could contemplate more 
advantageously that magnificent spectacle, when, to 
my great astonishment, I discovered that, what I had 
supposed a cloud, was in fact the famous promontory 
known as the Morros de San Juan, the singular con- 
formation of which has given rise to many specula- 
tions and legendary dissertations on the part of sa- 
vants and others less versed in scientific researches. 
When the sun rose above the horizon, a more extra- 
ordinary scene was never unfolded to the eye of the 
spectator. The huge and rugged mountain, some 
thousand feet high, stood in the midst of a desolate 
gulf, apparently of volcanic origin ; while the vege- 
tation, stunted and scrubby for want of adequate 
nourishment, contrasted singularly with the granite 



IS 



WILD SCENES IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



masses scattered all over the valley. The meandering 
rivulet of La Puerta, twice the scene of sanguinary 
conflicts between patriots and Spaniards, threaded its 
sparkling way through that Valley of Death, to mix 
its waters with those of the beautiful Guarico in the 
distance. In both of those engagements the arms of 
Spain were victorious ; but, as often happened in 
those days of guerra a muerte, the victors steeped 
their laurels in the blood of the vanquished with 
unsparing hand. These triumphs were shared alter- 
nately by the monster Boves and the sanguinary 
Morillo. It would be difficult to find two more 
bloody wretches than these myrmidons of despotism, 
whose very names are to this day the avenging cry 
against the race from which they both sprang. The 
forces opposed to them in these engagements hardly 
amounted to one-half their own numbers ; but the 
patriots under Bolivar accepted the battle with the 
despair of men who have no alternative between 
death and an ignominious yoke. It is asserted that 
the rivulet became, on both occasions, completely 
glutted with the gore and dead bodies of the van- 
quished. Morillo had a very narrow escape from the 
lance of Gregorio Monagas — celebrated as a matador, 
and for nothing else — who deliberately attacked the 
Spanish chieftain in the midst of his staff. Although 
the bold Llanero succeeded in piercing the groin of 
the Spaniard with his lance, the wound was not suffi- 
ciently deep to cause his death. 

The rugged crest of the mountain surrounded by 
an atmosphere resplendently clear, the wild and 



THE MORROS. 



19 



shattered rocks, piled like the giant skeletons of an 
extinct race, together with the painful associations 
connected with the spot, made an impression upon 
my mind not easily forgotten. 

Although I had often experienced a keen desire 
to see this natural wonder of my country, I could not 
repress a feeling of regret at the recollection of the 
sanguinary scenes enacted on this spot, and that my 
first impressions of astonishment should be replaced 
by others of a less pleasing character. 

On awakening from the reverie into which the 
scene had plunged me, I perceived for the first time 
that I was alone, my less contemplative companions 
having proceeded on their journey while I was ab- 
sorbed in wonder. I felt glad of my solitude, for the 
very silence seemed to breathe a prayer to the Al- 
mighty for the martyred children of Liberty before 
one of his most glorious temples. 



20 



WILD SCENES IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



"We reached the village of San Juan in time to 
breakfast at the house of our excellent friend Don 
Jose Pulido, a gentleman of most amiable and hospi- 
table disposition. While they prepared our morning 
meal, I repaired to the outskirts of the village to 
sketch the Morros, which from the distance appeared 
two huge castles in ruins. The continued action of the 
waters has furrowed the sides of the mountain — com- 
posed principally of a peculiar limestone— into many 
fantastic forms. The same wearing action has in like 
manner perforated the calcareous rock into a thousand 
subterranean passages or chasms of fathomless depth, it 
being asserted by persons who have approached suffi- 
ciently near the entrance of these caves, that a bowl- 
der rolled down the abyss, is never heard to strike 
the bottom. I regretted exceedingly that our short 
stay at this place would not permit me to visit the 
interior of the main entrance to these subterranean 
passages, no person ever having ventured within the 
dark abode — as it is currently believed — of demons 
and the like. As a proof of this assertion, the villa- 
gers point out to the inquisitive traveller a spring 
issuing from that Tartarus highly charged with sul- 
phurated hydrogen gas, the fumes of which are in 
themselves sufficiently powerful to convey the idea 
that something diabolical must be brewing in the 
bowels of the stupendous mountain. The spring, 
however, possesses highly medicinal virtues ; on this 
account it is often visited by invalids from various 
parts of the country, especially those affected with 
rheumatic or scrofulous complaints. 

During a heavy freshet, the bones of an antedi- 



THE MORROS. 



21 



luvian animal, supposed to be those of a mastodon, 
were disinterred by the torrent in the bed of a ravine. 
A portion of these bones were sent to us by our zeal- 
ous friend Don Jose, as a great curiosity ; as such 
they were transferred to the British Minister at Ca- 
racas, and finally consigned by him to the great 
Museum in London. 

The village of San Juan is likewise noted for its 
fine climate and the total absence of epidemics. In- 
valids affected with pulmonary complaints find there 
also an air and temperature most congenial. Beyond 
these advantages, San Juan offers no other attrac- 
tions to the stranger capable of inducing a longer 
sojourn than is absolutely necessary, as not even a 
ranch has been raised there for the convenience of 
those seeking its beneficent waters. 

After partaking of a substantial breakfast, com- 
posed of the most popular dishes of the country, such 
as carnefrita, saneocho, and some delicious fish from 
the river Guarico, we bade adieu to our estimable 
host, Don Jose, and continued our journey down the 
stony bottom of a narrow quebrada or ravine, noted 
for its many windings, and the quantities of sharp 
stones that pave the way ; these are evidently the 
detached fragments of the basaltic formation consti- 
tuting the base of the Morros. At Flores, a miser- 
able country inn like all the rest along this route, we 
stopped a few moments to refresh ourselves with 
guarapo, a kind of cider made from the juice of sugar 
cane, or by dissolving papelon in water and allowing 
it to ferment for a few days. The guarapo of Flores 
is celebrated throughout the country, and no person 



22 



WILD SCENES IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



passing through this place ever omits to call for it. 
When mixed with aguardiente, it forms what is 
termed carabina, (carbine ;) the effects rarely fail to 
knock down those who rashly brave its fire. 

Our next stopping place was the village of Ortiz, 
a little beyond that of Parapara. Taken together, 
they might be considered as the Pillars of Her- 
cules to the grassy Mediterranean of the Llanos, and 
the terminus of civilized pursuits in that quarter, as 
there you find the last vestiges of agriculture and the 
useful arts. In addition to small patches of sugar 
cane and Indian corn raised by the inhabitants for 
their own consumption, they excel in the manufac- 
ture of leather, saddles, and their appurtenances, 
which they sell to all parts of the country. Beyond 
this, nothing is to be met with but wild herds of 
cattle grazing on prairies or steppes of vast extent, 
with the exception of the narrow belt of park-like 
scenery intervening between these and a ridge of low, 
rocky hills — galeras — which skirts the ancient shore 
of the great basin of those pampas. The galeras were 
doubtless the natural rampart of that extraordinary 
body of waters which, at some remote epoch, must 
have filled the space now forming the grazing 
grounds of Venezuela, as attested by the nature of 
the soil and the organic remains found imbedded in 

o 

the clay. 

I noticed at Ortiz the same trap formation of the 
Morros, with extensive beds of basaltic slate protrud- 
ing through the sides of the hills. Entire columns 
of this slate, varying from four to five feet in length 
by six inches diameter, are used in the village for 



THE MORROS. 



23 



paving the thresholds of houses, their quadrangular 
form adapting them perfectly for this purpose with- 
out any additional labor after being detached from 
the rock. The action of the waters during the untold 
lapse of ages, or perhaps the irruptions of the sea it- 
self when it beat against the sides of the hills, has 
caused the partial disintegration of the rock in many 
places, and scattered the debris far and wide over 
the surrounding country. Nevertheless, vegetation 
seemed nowhere affected in the least by this vast ac- 
cumulation of loose stones ; on the contrary, wher- 
ever it was favored by the depressions of the ground, 
trees of large dimensions, noted for hardness and du- 
rability, sprang up, forming dense forests on either 
side of the road. Foremost in the long catalogue of 
splendid timber trees of Yenezuela, we found there 
growing in great perfection the Vera, or Lignum 
Yitse — Zigophylum arboreum — the wood of which is 
so hard that it turns the edge of the best-tempered 
tools ; breaking or splitting it seems equally impos- 
sible, on account of the interweaving of its fibres, 
which cross each other in diagonal layers. This tree 
has a wide range over the country, especially near 
the sea-coast, which circumstance renders it extremely 
useful in the construction of wharves, as well as for 
the keels of ships ; the attacks of the teredo or sea- 
worm are futile upon the iron network of its fibres, 
on which account it can remain under water for an 
indefinite period and eventually become petrified. 
The useful Gxiayacan or guaiacum of the arts, a nearly 
allied species of this tree, is also found here in the 
greatest abundance ; unfortunately it is too short to be 



24 



WILD SCENES IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



employed for the same purposes as the former ; it 
finds, however, numerous applications in naval con- 
struction, especially for blocks and pulleys for the 
rigging of vessels. Turners employ it likewise for 
various articles requiring extreme hardness and a 
close grain. 

The Alcornoque, a most beautiful tree, somewhat 
resembling the American elm, and scarcely inferior 
to the foregoing, raises here its graceful head above 
the rest, affording the cattle a permanent shade even 
during the driest seasons. It must not be confounded, 
however, with the well-known Spanish oak — Quercus 
suber — which yields the cork of commerce. It is 
largely employed in the Llanos in the construction of 
houses and fences. Braziletto wood — Cesalpinia bra- 
zil etto — so celebrated for its beautiful dye, is so abun- 
dant here also, that all the fences at Ortiz and Para- 
para are made of this valuable dyewood. 

The list of useful trees peculiar to this region 
could be extended beyond the limits of this chapter, 
were it not for the fear of taxing the patience of my 
reader with an abstract nomenclature. I cannot pass 
unnoticed, however, two other trees of no less impor- 
tance to the natives, on account of their timber and 
medicinal properties ; these are the Tacamahaca — 
Elaphrium tomentosum — and the tree that yields the 
precious balsam of copaiva — Copaifera officinalis. By 
making incisions in the trunk and branches of both 
these trees, a resinous fluid, possessing great healing 
powers when applied to wounds and other ailments 
of the flesh, is obtained in great abundance and col- 
lected in tin cans placed under the incisions. The 



THE MORROS. 



25 



former is particularly abundant in the province of 
Guayana, where it attains to great dimensions. Its 
resin, an opaque, lemon-colored substance resembling 
wax, is very fragrant, and when mixed with that of 
Carana or Algarroha, forms excellent torches which 
burn with great brilliancy, and emit a delicious odor. 
The bark is also remarkable as affording a material 
similar to that employed by the North American In- 
dians in the construction of their canoes, and used 
similarly by their brethren of the Orinoco for their 
light pirogues. With this object the Indian separates 
the bark without breaking, and cutting it of the re- 
quired dimensions, proceeds to join the extremities 
by means of hejucos or slender vines, filling the inter- 
stices with a little moist clay to throw off the water ; 
the whole is then well bound with stronger vines, 
and a couple or more sticks are affixed between the 
borders of the pirogue to prevent its collapsing 
when launched into the broad stream. 



2 



CHAPTER III. 



THE LLANOS. 



"We left Ortiz as usual, very early the next morn- 
ing, stumbling here and there amidst the mass of loose 
stones which paved the way all along the winding 
bed of the guebrada. In proportion as we advanced 
on our route, the hills decreased in size, while the 
loose stones seemed to increase in quantity. The 
splendid groves of hardy and balsamiferous trees, 
which near Ortiz formed an almost impenetrable for- 
est, gradually became less imposing in appearance, 
until they were replaced by thickets of thorny bushes, 
chiefly composed of several species of mimosas, with 
a delicate and feathery foliage. The traveller accus- 
tomed to the shade of a luxuriant vegetation, and to 
the sight of cultivated valleys, is struck by the rapid 
diminution of the former, and the total disappearance 
of the latter, as he emerges from the Galeras of Ortiz : 
yet he is somewhat compensated by the almost over- 
•powevmg perfume shed by masses of the canary-colored 
blossoms with which these shrubs are loaded, from the 



THE LLANOS. 



27 



summits down to the bending branches that trail the 
ground at every passing breeze. 

Suddenly we entered a widely-extended tract of 
level land almost destitute of vegetation. With the 
exception of a few clumps of palm-trees with fan-like 
leaves, nothing but short grass covered its entire sur- 
face, almost realizing the idea of "an ocean covered 
with sea-weed." A dense mass of vapor pervading 
the atmosphere obscured the horizon, while the fan- 
palms, seen from afar, appeared like ships enveloped 
in a fog. Gradually the circle of the heavens seemed 
to close around us, until we became, as it were, en- 
compassed by the sky. We were, in fact, treading 
the shores of the great basin of the Llanos, over one 
of the ancient shoals or Jfesas, which, like successive 
terraces, now form the borders of those grassy oceans 
known as the Pampas. This was the Mesa de Paya, 
the seat of one of the cattle-farms to which we were 
bound. 

After wandering for nearly three hours over 
this monotonous landscape without compass, and 
guided only by certain landmarks known to the 
vaqueanos, we came unexpectedly upon the borders 
of the Mesa, which commands an extensive view of 
the lower savannas. As if by magic the dreary scene 
changed to one of the most glorious panoramas in 
existence. At our feet lay a beautiful expanse of 
meadow, fresh and smooth as the best cultivated 
lawn, with troops of horses and countless herds of 
cattle dispersed all over the plain. Several glitter- 
ing ponds, alive with all varieties of aquatic birds, 
reflected upon their limpid surface the broad-leaved 



28 WILD SCENES IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



crowns of the fan-palms, towering above verdant 
groves of laurel, amyris, and elm-like robles. Further 
beyond, and as far as the eye could reach, the undu- 
lating plain appeared like a petrified ocean, after the 
sweeping tempest. 

But I feel that my descriptions fall short of the 
reality, and that I am ^unable to depict the harmo- 
nious effects of light and shade, and the blending of 
the various tints of green, blue and purple, dispersed 
over this extensive panorama ; the gentle undulations 
of the plain ; the towering palms gracefully fanning 
the glowing atmosphere with their majestic crowns 
of broad and shining leaves ; and myriad other beau- 
ties difficult to enumerate. 

I could scarcely tear myself away from the spot, 
so fascinated was I with the novelty of the scene. 
My companions, more concerned for the speedy termi- 
nation of the journey than the beautiful in nature, 
set off at a brisk trot towards the house, which was 
at no great distance. Fearing to lose my way among 
the intricate paths leading to it, I was compelled to 
follow in their wake, stopping occasionally to gaze 
once more upon those enchanting groves, which 
seemed to return me to the highly cultivated fields 
and green meadows of glorious " Old England," from 
whence I had just returned. 

On descending to the plain below, my attention 
was attracted to an unsightly group of palm-thatched 
huts, looking more like huge bee-hives than the 
abode of human beings. A formidable fence of palm 
trunks surrounded the premises, and several acres of 
ground beyond. These were the corrals ; or enclosures 



THE LLANOS. 



29 



where the training of the fierce herds was practised 
by the hardy dwellers of the Llanos ; bnt no signs of 
cultivation, or aught else connected with the rural 
occupations of the farmer, were visible in the neigh- 
borhood. Presently the cavalcade stopped before the 
gate, and all the individuals composing it dismounted 
and began to unsaddle their horses amidst the bark- 
ing of a legion of dogs, and the braying of all the 
donkeys in the vicinity. 

This was the hato or cattle-farm of San Pablo we 
were in quest of, famous in the annals of the civil 
wars in Venezuela, as the occasional head-quarters 
of the constitutional armies, commanded by the owner 
of this farm. Our leader was received at the entrance 
of his estate, by a grave and elderly negro slave, who 
acted as overseer, and had under his control all the 
men and property attached to it. Kneeling upon the 
stony court-yard, he kissed the hand extended to him 
in friendly greeting, after which he proceeded to un- 
saddle his master's horse, which he led to a pond 
within the enclosure, where the horses were watered. 

We purposed remaining a few days at San Pablo, 
with the object of incorporating some fresh relays of 
mules and horses from the abundant stock of this 
estate : so we of the staff installed ourselves under the 
palm-roof of our rustic mansion, while the rank and 
file of the expedition found accommodation in the 
open barracoons adjoining it ; although none of the 
party had reason to boast of being better off than 
their neighbor. 

" It is sad when pleasing first impressions are 
obliterated," remarks a sentimental writer ; " always 



30 



WILD SCENES IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



painful to become desenchanie on a more intimate ac- 
quaintance with either people or places." I soon found 
that I was not in the fairy land I had imagined, abound- 
ing in grottos and refreshed by sparkling fountains, 
but in the region of the Llanos where the French adage, 
chacun pour soi et Dieu pour tous, is verified to its 
fullest extent. • San Pablo, with its vaunted prestige, 
and in spite of its proximity to several important 
marts, was no better provided with accommodations 
than the untidy douar of the wandering Arab of the 
Desert. A rickety table standing against the wall 
for fear of tumbling down, two or three clumsy cedar 
chairs covered with raw-hide, and a couple of grass 
hammocks, serving the double purpose of beds and 
lounges, constituted all the furniture of the great 
farm. As a substitute for wardrobes and hat-stands, 
we were shown a number of deer-antlers and bull- 
horns imbedded in the walls of reeds and mud, on 
which to hang our pouches, bridles, &c. I searched in 
vain, on our arrival, for something like a bowl in 
which to lave my hands and face, covered with dust 
and parched by the broiling sun of the savannas. 
Even water was so scarce that it was served to us 
sparingly from a large calabash gourd used in bring- 
ing it from the river, nearly a mile distant. It is true 
there was, within the enclosure of the houses, a pond 
or excavation, made while searching for the remains 
of a brave officer who fell fighting for his country's 
freedom. Sufficient water had accumulated there 
during the rainy season to entitle it to the name of 
Zaguna, or Lake of Genaro Vazquez, the name of 
the afore-mentioned hero; but it was so filled with 



THE LLANOS. 



31 



Bavas — a small species of alligator, — terrapins, and 
toads, as to render the water undrinkable. 

But to return to our head-quarters, the structure 
of which struck me so forcibly at first as a bee-hive 
of vast proportions, naturally suggesting the idea of a 
"land of milk and honey." Unfortunately neither 
of these could be obtained either for love or money, 
although the woods and pastures of the estate 
abounded in both the creatures that produced them. 
So we were compelled to resort to our reserved stock 
of papelon to sweeten our coffee, and to its own de- 
licious natural aroma in the place of milk. As to 
the house itself, it only differed from the rest in that 
region in being larger, and perhaps in better order 
than are the generality. Imagine a pyramidal struc- 
ture, thatched with palm leaves, the roof slanting to 
within a few feet of the ground, and supported on stout 
posts of live timber, which served also as framework 
for the walls, and you will have some idea of the style 
of architecture peculiar to the country. Doors and win- 
dows are of no account in a country uniformly warm 
throughout the year, and where the inhabitants pos- 
sess few articles capable of tempting the cupidity of 
light-fingered gentry. Therefore, an ox-hide stretched 
across the openings left in the walls to admit light and 
the inmates, is all that is required to keep off unin- 
vited guests. As an exception to this rule, our man- 
sion of San Pablo had one or two rooms set apart for 
invalids, provided with doors and windows of solid 
planks of timber in the rough ; the other apartments 
had the upper half of the walls purposely left open, 
to admit full and free entrance of light and air. A 



32 



WILD SCENES IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



narrow piazza or corridor, formed by the slanting of 
the roof to within five feet of the ground, ran along the 
entire length of the main building, and was intended 
more as a protection to the rooms against the sun and 
rains, than as a resort for the inmates. 

The first step, on arriving, was to secure a place in 
the open reception room, for my own chattels and 
hammock, before all the spare posts and hooks had 
been appropriated by my companions. This accom- 
plished, I proceeded to a thorough examination of my 
saddle and its accoutrements, so as to have them 
adapted to the peculiar mode of travelling in the 
Llanos. This care I left to the good judgment of our 
attendants, not being myself sufficiently skilled in the 
art of mending, greasing, and putting in order the 
complicated gear of our riding equipment. In the 
same predicament were also my two English com- 
panions, and our worthy doctor ; a kind word, how- 
ever, addressed to the good-natured Llaneros — espe- 
cially if accompanied with a drop of aguardiente — 
never failed of enlisting their services in our favor. 

Habit, as well as necessity, is sometimes the 
mother of invention, as my experience soon taught 
me that, to get along in my new quarters, it would be 
requisite to set aside the airs and insignia of civiliza- 
tion. Divesting myself, therefore, of all such super- 
fluities as coat, cravat, pants, and shoes, I adopted the 
less cumbrous attire of the Llaneros, consisting mainly 
of breeches tightly buttoned at the knee, and a loose 
shirt, usually of a bright checkered pattern. Shoes 
are altogether dispensed with in a country like the 
Llanos, subject to drenching rains, and covered with 



THE LLANOS. 



33 



mud during a great portion of the year, besides the 
inconvenience they offer to the rider in holding the 
stirrup securely when in chase of wild animals. The 
leg, however, is well protected from the thorns and 
cutting grass of the savannas by a neat legging or 
botin, made of buifskin, tightly buttoned down the 
calf by knobs or studs of highly polished silver. 
Another characteristic article of dress, and one in 
which the wearers take great pride, is the linen check- 
ered handkerchief, loosely worn around the head. Its 
object is ostensibly to protect it from the intensity of 
the sun's rays ; but the constant habit of wearing it 
has rendered the handkerchief as indispensable a head- 
dress to the Llaneros as is the cravat to the neck of 
the city gentleman. 

One angle of the building was devoted to the 
kitchen, and rooms for the overseer and his family ; 
the other was set apart for a store-room, suggesting 
hidden treasures of good things for the comfort of the 
inner man. Being naturally inquisitive, I lost no 
time in investigating the contents of the bodega ; but 
instead of sweetmeats, fresh cheese, or even bread 
and butter, — articles of easy manufacture in the 
Llanos, on which I had feasted my imagination, — I 
found the place filled with roaches, pack-saddles, old 
bridles, lazos, and tasajo or jerked beef. This last is 
prepared by cutting fresh beef into long strips, and 
exposing them to dry in the sun, first rubbing them 
thoroughly with salt. Animal substances spoil so 
readily in tropical climates, that unless this precau- 
tion is taken immediately after a bullock is slaughter- 
ed, the meat becomes tainted in a short time. Two 
2* 



34 



WILD SCENES IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



or three days' exposure to the hot sun of the Llanos, 
is sufficient to render the beef as dry and tough as 
leather ; in this state, it may be stored away for six 
months without spoiling. The older the better ; age 
imparting to it that peculiar rank flavor which makes 
tasajo so highly prized by people of all ranks in Cuba 
and other West India Islands. Large shipments of 
this beef have been made from Yenezuela to those 
places ; but the competition of Buenos Ayres has re- 
duced of late the profits arising from this branch of 
our exports. The manner of killing and quartering an 
animal in the Llanos deserves particular mention. 
The cattle being usually some distance from the house, 
two horsemen are despatched after the victim ; one 
of them gallops close to the animal's rear, and throw- 
ing his unerring lazo at its head, drags it along, while 
his companion urges it on by means of his garrocha 
or goad, until they reach the sacrificial post : one or 
two turns of the lazo around this, bring the animal 
close to the hotalon; the matador then plunges the 
point of his dagger into the vertebrse back of the head, 
and the struggling beast drops as if struck by an elec- 
tric spark ; a second thrust of the bloody dagger into 
his throat severs the artery, and the blood gushes in 
torrents through the wound from every part of his 
body. The prostrate victim is now turned upon its 
back, and a long incision made lengthwise of the 
belly, preparatory to flaying and cutting up the car- 
cass. When the animal is not intended to be imme- 
diately slaughtered, he is tied to the post by a succes- 
sion of coils from the lazo around his horns, and left 
there until the fatal moment comes to despatch him. 



THE LLANOS. 



35 



One night I was awakened by a terrific bellowing 
proceeding from the botalon / but, as I knew there was 
no bullock there for slaughter at the moment, I was at 
a loss how to account for this uproarious serenade. 
Curiosity led me to inquire into the cause, and direct- 
ing my steps towards the spot, I beheld a group of 
about a dozen bulls, smelling at the blood of their 
former companions, and ploughing up the gore with 
their hoofs, evidently in great distress. This continued 
for some time, until, finding their bewailing by moon- 
light rather too touching even for artists' ears, we or- 
dered them to be driven away, in spite of the sublimity 
of the scene. I had other opportunities of witnessing 
similar testimonials of respect, whenever a herd of cat- 
tle approached the place of execution, which never 
failed to impress me deeply with a feeling of compas- 
sion for their sorrows. 

Every morning an animal was slaughtered for us. 
Our meals consisted of roast beef, without either vege- 
tables or wheaten bread. Indian corn we had in abun- 
dance, both in the grain and in the husk ; but before 
it could be converted into arepas — the favorite bread 
of the country — it required to be passed through a 
variety of operations each day, which made the pro- 
cess rather tedious, as the grain must first be hulled 
by pounding it in large wooden mortars, adding a 
handful of sand and a little water : next the grain must 
be separated from the chaff, thoroughly washed, and 
then boiled over a slow fire. In doing this, care must 
be used, for if too soft it will not answer the purpose. 
Finally it is ground to a paste between two stones, 
formed into flat cakes, and baked in shallow pans of 



36 



WILD SCENES IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



earthenware. The result of all this labor is bread 
exceedingly white and nourishing ; but it has the dis- 
advantage of becoming tough and unpalatable when 
cold. Under the popular name of tortillas, this bread 
is also extensively used in Mexico and Central Amer- 
ica, although inferior to our own. 




Even this was considered a great luxury at San 
Pablo, few other cattle-farms being provided with the 
necessary utensils for its manufacture, and still fewer 
the number of those that will grow sufficient corn for 
the consumption of their inmates. The Llaneros are 
essentially a pastoral people, and trouble themselves 
but little with the cultivation of the land, considering 
it rather derogatory to bend their heads, even to 
mother Earth. Hence their homes are usually in a 
state of utter wretchedness, being unprovided even 



THE LLANOS. 



37 



with the commonest necessaries. Although the land 
is extremely fertile, and would well repay the labor 
with abundant crops of every kind of grain, they do 
not consider bread an essential, using instead a piece 
of boiled liver, which in their estimation answers just 
as well. Therefore the divine command, which en- 
joins us to earn our daily bread by the sweat of the 
brow, is not much regarded by them. In the midst 
of countless herds, and surrounded with the most 
munificent gifts of a bountiful Providence, they are 
often even without fresh meat ; not because they are 
sparing of their cattle, which in that country bears a 
nominal value, but because they are naturally abste- 
mious ; and as for milk and butter, they despise both 
as food only fit for children. Cheese, however, is a 
favorite article of food with them, and in its prepara- 
tion, they display considerable ability, especially the 
delicious kind termed queso de memos, a species of 
boiled cheese. As some of my readers may wish to 
experiment in making it, I will give them the recipe. 
Curd the milk in the usual way, and boil the curd in 
its own whey. When about the consistency of mo- 
lasses candy, stretch it out repeatedly with the hands 
until cold. Add a little salt to the mass ; roll it into 
flat cakes, and hang the cheese to drain in nets sus- 
pended from the ceiling. When pulled, it will sepa- 
rate in layers which look like parchment, retaining 
all the flavor of the milk. 

The cows, being half wild in most cases, require to 
be milked by main force. To accomplish this, one 
of the dairymen throws a noose around the horns of 
the animal, and holds it secure by means of a long 



38 



WILD SCENES IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



pole attached to the thong, while another proceeds to 
milk it in the usual way ; but none will yield a drop, 
unless the calf is first allowed to suck a little, and 
then tied to the mother's knee. 

Every cow is distinguished by a fancy name, such 
as Clavellina, Flor del Campo, Marabilla, and others 
equally euphonious and poetical. When called to be 
milked, the tame ones immediately answer in sup- 
pressed bellowings, and come forward of their own ac- 
cord, while the calves confined in the pen, on hearing 
their mothers' names, run along the fence in search of 
the gate ; a boy, stationed there for the purpose, lets 
fall one of the bars, and off they bound after the 
mothers. 

The men perform there altogether the occupations 
allotted to women in other countries, such as milking 
the cows, curding the milk, and turning out the cheese 
when ready. They do not even disdain cooking their 
own food, and washing their own garments, when 
occasion requires. Of the women, I may be permit- 
ted to quote here what Sir Francis Head, in his quaint 
style, says with reference to those in the Pampas of 
Buenos Ayres, as being equally applicable to their 
sisters of the Llanos : " The habits of the women are 
very curious : they have literally nothing to do, the 
great plains which surround them offer no motive to 
work, they seldom ride, and their lives certainly are 
very indolent and inactive. They all have families, 
however, whether married or not ; and once when I 
inquired of a young woman employed in nursing a 
very pretty child, who was the father of the 6 cria- 
tura,' she replied ' Quien sabe % ' " * 

* Journeys across the Pampas. 



THE LLANOS. 



39 



But it is time to introduce my reader to a more 
intimate acquaintance with this singular race of peo- 
ple, whose manliness, bravery, and skill in waging a 
constant war, not only with the wild animals of the 
field, but against the proud legions of Iberia, entitle 
them to a place among the heroes of the earth. 



CHAPTER IV. 



THE LLANEKOS. 

*' Dichoso aquel que alcanza 
Corao rico don del Cielo, 
Para defender su suelo 
Baen cab&Y.o y buena lanza." 

«— AKOLA8. 

The people inhabiting the vast region of the 
Llanos, although claiming descent from the old Cas- 
tilian race, once the rulers of the land, are, in fact, an 
amalgamation of the various castes composing the 
present population of the Republic. These are, the 
whites, or the descendants of the European .settlers of 
the country ; the aboriginals or Indians, and a great 
proportion of blacks. In most of the towns the native 
whites preponderate over all others, and represent 
the wealth, as well as the most respectable portion 
of the community ; in the villages and thinly popu- 
lated districts of the plains, a mongrel breed result- 
ing from the admixture of these three, constitute the 
majority of the inhabitants. These are dispersed over 
an area of 27,000 square miles, making a proportion 



THE LLANEROS. 



41 



of only fourteen individuals, out of a population of 
390,000, to every square mile. 

This race, although vastly inferior to the first in 
mental capacity and moral worth, is endowed with a 
physique admirably adapted to endure the fatigues 
of a life beset with dangers and hardships.* Cast 
upon a wild and apparently interminable plain, the 
domain of savage beasts and poisonous reptiles, their 
lot has been to pass all their life in a perpetual strug- 
gle, not only with the primitive possessors of the 
land, but with the elements themselves, often as 
fierce as they are grand. When it is not the alarm 
of the dreaded viper or the spotted jaguar, it is the 
sudden inroad of vast inundations, which, spreading 
with fearful rapidity over the land, sweep off in one 
moment their frail habitations and their herds. 
Nevertheless, this insecure existence, this continual 

* Mons. de Lavayesse, in his interesting work on Venezuela, makes 
some pertinent remarks on this subject worthy of the consideration and 
study of learned physiologists. "Why is it," he says, "that individuals 
proceeding from a mixture of African and indigenous American blood, 
have greater strength, finer forms, more intellectual faculties and moral 
energy, than the Negro or Indian ? Why, although the white be, in gen- 
eral, superior in strength of body, mental powers, and in moral force, to 
the aboriginal American and to the negro — why, I ask, are the individ- 
uals born of the union of a white with an Indian woman, (the Mestizos, 
for instance,) inferior in mental and corporeal qualities to the Zambos? 
Why are the Mestizos generally distinguished by finer figures, agreeable 
countenances, and in mildness and docility of their dispositions? Why 
is the mulatto, son of a white and a negress, superior to the Zambo in in- 
tellectual faculties, but his inferior in physical? Why is it, that when 
those races are mixed, their progeny is remarkable for a more healthy 
and vigorous constitution, and for more vital energy, than the individuals 
born in the same climate of indigenous European or African blood, with- 
out mixture ? " s 



42 



WILD SCENES IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



struggxe between life and death, between rude intel- 
lect and matter, has for the Llanero a sort of fascina- 
tion, perhaps not so well understood by people pos- 
sessing the blessings and ideas of civilization, but 
without which he could not exist, especially if de- 
prived of his horse and cast among the mountain 
region north of his cherished plains. The Modern 
Centaur of the desolate regions of the New "World, 
the Llanero spends his life on horseback ; all his ac- 
tions and exertions must be assisted by his horse ; for 
him the noblest effort of man is, when gliding swiftly 
over the boundless plain and bending over his spirited 
charger, he overturns an enemy or masters a wild 
bull. The following lines of Yictor Hugo seem as 
though copied from this model : " He would not fight 
but on horseback ; he forms but one person with his 
horse ; he lives on horseback ; trades, buys, and sells 
on horseback ; eats, drinks, sleeps, and dreams on 
horseback." Like the Arab, he considers his horse 
his best and most reliable friend on earth, often de- 
priving himself of rest and comfort after a hard day's 
journey to afford his faithful companion abundance 
of food and water. It is not at all surprising, there- 
fore, to hear the bard — all Llaneros are poets more or 
less — exclaim, after the loss of both his wife and val- 
ued horse : 

Mi muger y mi caballo 
Se me murieron a tm tiempo ; 
Que muger, ni que deniomo, 
Mi caballo es lo que siento. 

My wife and my valued horse 
Died both at the same time ; 
To the devil with my wife, 
For my horse do I repine. 



THE LLANEROS. 



43 



Few people in the world are better riders than 
the Llaneros of Venezuela, if we except perhaps the 
Gauchos of Buenos Ayres, or equal to either in the 
dexterity they display in the wonderful feats of horse- 
manship to which their occupations in the field in- 
ure them from childhood. Their horses, moreover, 
are so well trained to the various evolutions of their 
profession, that animal and rider seem to possess but 
one existence. 

The life of the Llanero, like that of the Gaucho 
his prototype, is singularly interesting, and resembles 
in many respects that of others who, like them, have 
their abode in the midst of extensive plains. Thus 
they have been aptly styled the Cossacks and the 
Arabs of the Eew World, with both of whom they 
have many points in common, but more especially do 
they resemble the last named. When visiting the 
famous Constantine Gallery of paintings at Versailles, 
I was struck with the resemblance of the Algerine 
heroes of Horace Yernet with our own, revealing at 
once the Moorish descent of the latter, independently 
of other characteristic peculiarities. 

The inimitable author of " Journeys Across The 
Pampas," already quoted, alluding to the life of 
these wild shepherds of the plains, compares it very 
appropriately to the rise and progress of a young 
eagle, so beautifully described by Horace in the 
following verses : 

Olim juventas et patrius vigor 
Nidum laborum propulit inscium ; 
Vernique, jam nimbis remotis, 
Insolitos docuere nisua 



WILD SCENES IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



Venti paventem ; mox in ovilia 
Deinisit hostem vividus impetus ; 
Nunc in reluctantes dracones 
Egit amor dapis atque pugnae. 

— Hoeace, Book iv., Ode iv. 

" Whom native vigor, and the rush 
Of youth have spurr'd to quit the nest, 

And skies of blue, in springtide's flush, 
Entice aloft to breast 
The gales he fear'd before his lordly plumes were drest. 

" N ow swooping, eager for his prey, 

Spreads havoc through the flutter'd fold ; 

Straight, fired by love of food and fray, 
In grapple fierce and bold, 
The struggling dragons rends, e'en in their rocky hold." 

— Teanslation by Haetin". 

" Born in the rude hut, the infant Gaucho receives 
little attention, bnt is left to swing from the roof in a 
bullock's hide, the corners of which are drawn tow- 
ards each other by four strips of hide. In the first 
year of his life he crawls about without clothes, and I 
have more than once seen a mother give a child of 
this age a sharp knife, a foot long, to play with. As 
soon as he walks, his infantine amusements are those 
which prepare him for the occupations of his future 
life ; with a lazo made of twine he tries to catch little 
birds, or the dogs, as they walk in and out of the hut. 
By the time he is four years old he is on horseback, 
and immediately becomes useful by assisting to drive 
the cattle into the corral." 

"When sufficiently strong to cope with a wild ani- 



THE LLANEROS. 



45 



mal, the young Llanero is taken to the majada or 
great cattle-pen, and there hoisted upon the bare 
back of a fierce young bull. With his face turned 
towards the animal's tail, which he holds in lieu of 
bridle, and his little legs twisted around the neck of 
his antagonist, he is whirled round and round at a 
furious rate. His position, as may be imagined, is 
any thing but equestrian ; yet, the fear of coming in 
contact with the bull's horns compels the rider to 
hold on until, by a dexterous twist of the animal's 
tail while he jumps off its back, he succeeds in over- 
turning his antagonist. 

In proportion as he grows older and stronger, a 
more manly amusement is afforded him with the 
breaking in of a wild colt. This being, however, a 
more dangerous experiment, in which many a " young 
eagle " is rendered a " lame duck," he is provided 
with the necessary accoutrements to withstand the 
terrible struggle with the animal. Firmly seated 
upon his back and brandishing overhead a tough 
chaparro vine for a whip, the apprentice is thus in- 
stalled in his new office, from which he must not de- 
scend until the brute is perfectly subdued ; the coil 
of lazo in the hands of his merciless instructor would 
be the least evil awaiting him should he otherwise 
escape safe and sound from the desperate kicks and 
plunges of the horse. 

Here commences what we may term, the^public 
life of the Llanero ; his education is now considered 
complete. From this moment all his endeavors and 
ambition will be to rival his companions in the dis- 
play of physical force, which he shows to an admi- 



46 



WILD SCENES IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



rable degree when, armed with his tough lazo, he 
pursues the wild animals of his domain. If a power- 
ful bull or wild horse tries to escape into the open 
plain, the cavalier unfurls the noose which is always 
ready by his side, and the fugitive is quickly brought 
back to the corral. Should the thong give way under 
the impetuous flight of the animal, the rider seizes 
him by the tail, and whirling round suddenly, pulls 
towards him with so much force as to cause his im- 
mediate overthrow. 

In all these exercises the roving cavalier of the 
Llanos acquires that feeling of security and enduring 
disposition for which he is famous. Unfortunately, it 
is often turned to account in disturbing the balance 
of power among his more enlightened countrymen ; 
for he is always ready to join the first revolutionary 
movement offering him the best chances for equipping 
himself with arms of all descriptions. Next to the 
horse, the Llanero esteems those weapons which give 
him a superiority over his fellow-creatures, viz., a 
lanoe, a bmnderbuss, and a fine sword. If he is un- 
provided with either of these, he considers himself a 
miserable and degraded being, and all his efforts will 
tend to gratify this favorite vanity, even at the risk 
of his own life. Therefore he goes to war, because he 
is sure, if victorious, of finding the battle-field covered 
with these tempting trophies of his ambition. In this, 
unfortunately, he is too often encouraged by a host 
of unprincipled politicians who, not wishing to earn 
a livelihood by fair means, are eternally plotting 
against the powers that be. 

The style of sword worn by the Llaneros differs 



THE LLANEROS. 



47 



little from that used by Spaniards of the middle ages, 
the hilt being surmounted by a guard in the shape of 
a reversed cup, affording an excellent protection to 
the hand that wields it, while the blade is made with 
two edges, instead of one. Most of these swords are 
mounted in silver, the same as the accompanying 
dagger, another of their favorite weapons ; and such 
is the passion among Llaneros for glittering swords 
and daggers, that they would sooner dispense with a 
house or a corral, than with either of these expensive 
commodities. 

The lance comes next in importance, and in their 
hands is quite a formidable weapon, which they are 
enabled to handle with great dexterity, from their 
constant practice with the garrocha or goad with 
which they drive and turn the cattle. As an element 
of war, the lance has become celebrated in the coun- 
try, having rendered the cause of Independence the 
most effectual service in repelling the attacks of the 
sanguinary hosts sent by Spain against the indomi- 
table " Bebeldes " of Colombia. 

The trdbuco or blunderbuss, too, is held in great 
estimation as a weapon of defence, or rather of ag- 
gression, as they are at all times ready to test its 
powers on the slightest provocation ; and nobody 
thinks of travelling in that desert country without 
one of these wide-mouthed spitfires by his side. 

Being rather of a superstitious turn of mind, these 
people believe that by decorating their deadly wea- 
pons with some insignia of their religion, they are 
rendered more effectual ; the cross surmounts their 
swords and daggers ; while the rosary and agnus Dei 



48 



WILD SCENES IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



entwine the butt-end of their trabucos, when called 
into requisition. Thus they are emboldened to per- 
form acts of desperate yalor which, under any other 
circumstances, would be considered rash in the ex- 
treme. 

Such is the religious faith of these benighted 
people ; a religion of form and superstition rather 
than conviction. Christianity, like the Spanish lan- 
guage, exists among them, it is true ; but corrupted 
and enveloped in dark superstition, almost bordering 
on idolatry. It cannot, however, be expected that a 
widely scattered population over so extensive an area 
of desert plains, should possess any means of enlight- 
enment beyond what is conveyed to them through 
the few teachers distributed among the principal 
towns of the interior. Therefore it is not an unusual 
thing to meet with persons owning extensive cattle 
farms, and even holding important commissions in 
the army, who cannot read or write. During the 
good old times of the Capuchin Missions, the youth 
of the villages under their control received at their 
hands a scanty education, principally in the primary 
notions of the catechism ; but with the destruction of 
those beneficent establishments, during the protracted 
struggle between natives and Spaniards, they were 
replunged into utter ignorance, and most of their 
places of worship have long since gone to decay. 
They have retained, nevertheless, enough of the ex- 
travagant notions of that school to establish a creed 
singularly at variance with the teachings of the Gos- 
pel, and founded principally on a belief in saints and 
amulets. The latter consist in little trinkets wrought 



THE LLANEROS. 



49 



in gold or silver ; or written orisons carefully pre- 
served in leathern bags and worn suspended from 
their rosaries around their necks. Most of these ori- 
sons are the more extravagant from the fact they have 
no meaning whatever ; yet this very obscurity seems 
to attach greater value to them, their principal charm 
consisting, as they say, in their mysterious import. 

Great faith is also placed in certain prayers which 
are supposed to have the power of driving away the 
Devil, curing diseases and averting all kinds of evil. 

As regards their Creator, they only have some 
vague ideas ; they believe, for instance, in one God ; 
mats voila tout. They seem to entertain greater fear 
of Beelzebub and Death personified, both of whom 
they imagine to possess undisputed sway over His 
creatures. The first they fancy to be fashioned with 
horns, hoofs, and claws like some of their wild beasts. 
Their ideas of death are no less extravagant. A re- 
spectable old gentleman of my acquaintance who once 
found himself very low with fever, thus related his 
experience respecting this fearful vision. " Why ! " 
said he to a circle of friends who came to congratulate 
him on his recovery, " I had always supposed that 
Death was actually a horrid skeleton skulking about 
the world in search of victims, and carrying in his 
hand a fearful hook with which he angled for us as 
we do for fish. No such thing, my friends, I assure 
you ; Death, after all, is nothing more than lack of 
breath ; " accompanying the assertion with a gentle 
pressure of his nose with his fingers and a hearty 
laugh. 

As a natural consequence, the Llaneros, in spite 

8 



50 WILD SCENES IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



of their bravery and sangfroid in other respects, en- 
tertain great fear of espantos or ghosts and appari- 
tions. One of the most popular hallucinations of this 
kind is la bola defuego, or " light of Aguirre the Ty- 
rant," as the natives usually style it — a sort of ignis 
fatuus, arising from the decomposition of organic 
substances at the bottom of certain marshes. Super- 
stitious imaginations, unacquainted with this phe- 
nomenon, readily transform these gaseous exhalations 
into the soul of the famous Lope de Aguirre wander- 
ing about the savannas. This adventurous individual 
had the satisfaction, while he lived, of discovering the 
great river Amazon. Being of a restless and bloody 
disposition, like all the heroes of that epoch, he started 
in search of El Dorado with a powerful expedition 
from Peru, which resulted in the discovery of the 
Father of Waters. He stained his laurels, however, 
with the blood of his own daughter, as well as with 
that of his companions, for which unpardonable atro- 
cities it is believed his accursed soul was left to wan- 
der over those countries which he sullied with his 
crimes.* Now it appears before the terrified traveller 
in the form of a blazing ball of fire ; a minute after 
it will be seen one or two miles off. If sufficiently 
near, the spectator cannot fail to observe the entrails 
of the wicked wanderer enveloped in the flames of 
this extraordinary apparition. Such is the power of 
affrighted imaginations which have converted one of 
the commonest phenomena of chemical action into 
the wildest speculation of besotted fanaticism. 

* See Humboldt, Travels to the Equinoctial Regions of America, 



THE LLANEROS. 



51 



"With regard to miracles and the interposition of 
the saints, the names of some of which are constantly 
in their mouths, the Llaneros also have many curious 
notions. For every emergency of their lives there is 
a special patron saint ; San Pablo, like good old St. 
Patrick, is supposed to have entire sway over snakes 
and other vermin ; San Antonio, the power of re- 
storing stolen goods to their rightful owners ; while 
San somebody else that of befriending the highway 
robber and assassin from the punishment of justice 
and violent death. As an illustration of this fact, I 
will relate here an incident which I witnessed during 
one of those endemic revolutions so typical of the 
Spanish American republics, and which never fail to 
foster lawless bands of desperadoes who, under the 
cover of political reforms, commit all sorts of depre- 
dations upon the helpless inhabitants. 



JOSE TTRBANO, THE GUERILLA-CHIEF. 

A digression for the sake of variety. 

Shortly after our return from the Apure, a revo- 
lution broke out among the colored population ; a 
class which until then had been the most peaceful 
and submissive, but since perverted to such a degree 
as to require all the energies and resources of the 
white race to save itself from utter ruin and degra- 
dation. 

An ambitious demagogue, editor of a newspaper 
in the capital, had been seized with the mania, so 



52 



WILD SCENES IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



prevalent in South America, of becoming President 
{pro tern.) of the Republic. To this end, he spared no 
means in recommending himself to the public, through 
the columns of his paper, heaping at the same time 
all kinds of slander and abuse upon those who stood 
in his way. Finding, however, little cooperation from 
the better class of the community, he experienced no 
scruple in courting the favor of the colored popula- 
tion, who, he readily persuaded, " had a perfect right 
to share in the gains and property of their aristocratic 
masters." The Government was powerless in arrest- 
ing the spirit of revolt which was daily being infused 
among the masses, as the Constitution allowed perfect 
freedom of the press, and the good citizens did not 
care to take the matter into their own hands. The 
consequence was, a fearful outbreak among the lower 
classes, backed by all the tramposos or broken-down 
speculators of the country, proclaiming community 
of property, and the ci-devant editor (who, by the 
way, had not a sous to stake in it) candidate for the 
next Presidency of the Republic. The revolt soon 
spread to the Llaneros, by far the most to be feared 
in the matter of hard blows ; and although it was 
quelled in time through the efforts of General Paez, 
it sowed the seeds of discontent which have since 
brought forth to the country an abundant crop of re- 
venge, violence, and rapine. It was during that cam- 
paign the incident I am about to relate occurred in 
the savannas of San Pablo. 

We had just encamped for the night on the beau- 
tiful plain of Morrocoyes, not far from our place, 
when a messenger arrived to apprise the General that 



THE LLANEROS. 



53 



the famous Jose TTrbano, leader of a band of robbers 
who had committed several wanton murders in that 
neighborhood, had crossed over to San Pablo under 
cover of night. The General immediately despatched 
a dozen of his men after the banditti, with positive 
orders to follow up the rastro or trail to the world's 
end if necessary, and not return to his presence with- 
out the body of the leader, muerto 6 vivo, dead or 
alive. To any other set of men less accustomed to 
the wild pursuits of the Llanos, this would have ap- 
peared an impossibility in a country like San Pablo, 
traversed in all directions by numerous cross-ways 
made by the cattle ; but the instinct of those men in 
tracking runaways as well as stray animals, is truly 
wonderful. Although the plain was covered with the 
footprints of twenty thousand animals roaming wild 
over the savannas, they followed close on the heels of 
the banditti, until they fell in, unfortunately, with 
another trail left by some vaqueros. The night was 
very dark, and they easily mistook this for that of the 
enemy. As a matter of course it led them to a ranch 
where the unlucky vaqueros were amusing themselves 
at the game of monte. Without stopping to ascertain 
who the gamblers were, the troop charged in the 
midst of them, killing two or three innocent fellows, 
and dispersing the rest like a herd of wild sheep. 
The aggressors did not discover their mistake until 
one of the fugitives, who happened to be acquainted 
with the party, recognized the voice of the com- 
mander, and shouted to him to stop the carnage. 

After this unfortunate encounter, it may be easy 
to conceive that the troopers were not slow in retrac- 



54: 



WILD SCENES IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



ing their steps in search of the cause of their mistake ; 
this time, however, with more prudence, carefully ex- 
amining every trail until they found the right one. It 
led them to another ranch where Urbano was spend- 
ing the evening in the society of one of his numerous 
sweethearts. Here they all dismounted very quietly, 
and leaving the horses in charge of two companions, 
they rushed into the ranch with a wild shout and 
lance in hand. The attack was so sudden, that most 
of the banditti were either killed or dispersed before 
they had time to seize their arms. Only their gallant 
leader stood at bay against tremendous odds, defend- 
ing himself bravely for a long time with the assistance 
of his equally courageous sweetheart, who kept all 
the while urging him on like a tigress. 

Overpowered at last by a superior force, and faint 
with the loss of blood from numerous wounds, the 
bandit fell at the feet of his sable Amazon. When 
raised, an amulet was found between his teeth so 
firmly held, that it required the united efforts of two 
men to remove it. On being opened, it was found to 
contain a written orison, shrouded in such mysterious 
language as would have defied the skill of a magician 
to decipher. This, I was informed, was the famous 
Oracion del Justo Juez, a singular misnomer for a 
talisman intended to befriend these gente non sancta 
in their marauding expeditions. 

It was a lucky thing for the assailants that Urbano 
received at the outset a severe cut on his right arm, 
causing an immediate flow of blood which filled the 
pan of his trabuco, otherwise the affair would have 
terminated very differently. The ignition of the pow- 



THE LLANEROS. 



55 



der was thus prevented just as lie was in the act of 
discharging the contents of that engine of destruction 
amidst the group. 

The body of the culprit was now tied on the back 
of a horse and conveyed to the presence of the Gen- 
eral, as an atonement for the unfortunate mistake 
which had deprived him of the services of two or 
three valuable hands. 

The news of this adventure spread as if by magic 
over the surrounding country and brought together 
great numbers of curiosos, among them, no doubt, 
many of Urbano's adherents, who might have dis- 
credited the statement. The General improved the 
opportunity to address them an impressive homily, 
ordering at the same time the mutilated body of the 
renowned bandit to be exposed on the public road for 
twenty-four hours, as a warning to others with similar 
proclivities. 

The death of this man, considered invulnerable by 
the superstitious children of the Llanos, produced a 
more powerful impression upon them than if a great 
battle had been fought and won. Next day, hun- 
dreds of facciosos, availing themselves of a general 
amnesty granted by the Commander-in-Chief to re- 
pentant revolutionists, began to arrive from various 
quarters and gave in their submission. 

Thus ended for the time being one of the most 
dangerous outbreaks that had ever occurred in the 
country, from the nature of the principles involved. 
As to the originator, he was subsequently eclipsed by 
a bolder political aspirant, the ever-memorable Jose 
T. Monagas. This worthy, of whom more especial 



56 



WILD SCENES IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



mention will be made hereafter, and who, in an evil 
hour for his country, was called to fill the chair of 
State, profiting by the condition of anarchy in which 
the other had plunged the nation, afterwards shot : 
down the representatives of the people in Congress 
assembled, and proclaimed himself absolute ruler, 
thus leaving the other ambitious pretender to exclaim 
with the poet : 



" Hos ego versiculos feci, tulit alter honores." 



CHAPTER V. 

SCENES AT THE FISHERY. 

Four days we remained at San Pablo making ar- 
rangements for the contemplated expedition to the 
Apnre ; but the horses being quartered at consider- 
able distance, we removed to La Yegiiera, a small farm, 
within the estate exclusively devoted to the breeding 
of those animals. Great numbers of mules were also 
raised there, which made the equine stock amount to 
nearly three thousand animals of all ages. There, 
untrammelled by barriers of any kind, they roamed 
at will over those beautiful meadows in a semi-wild 
state ; their only keeper was a half-breed, who with 
his family occupied the Ranch, which on that occasion 
was to shelter us also. This Ranch being too small, 
however, for the accommodation of the whole party, 
most of them bivouacked in a grove of lofty Cesal- 
pinias and Carob trees, from whose spreading branches 
they slung their hammocks, the dense foliage forming 
a sufficient shelter from the heavy dews of night and 
the heat of the sun by day. 

Our Leader, the Doctor, and myself, were domi- 
3* 



58 



WILD SCENES IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



ciled at the Ranch. Having the full range of the 
neighboring groves during the day, we had then no 
occasion to use our single apartment, already par- 
tially occupied with the culinary utensils and other * 
wares of the family. But on retiring to our ham- 
mocks at night, the scene presented was rather ludi- 
crous. In the same room allotted to us slept the 
keeper, his wife, and their numerous progeny, 
with all the dogs and chickens of the household 
huddled together in the most familiar manner. Not- 
withstanding, I will confess that the arrangement was 
not altogether disagreeable to me, as in close pro- 
pinquity slept two of the prettiest damsels I had yet 
encountered in that region, with eyes brilliant enough 
to render other light superfluous. The only important 
hindrance to my nightly repose was the occasional 
flapping of wings and the hourly crowing of our 
host's favorite gamecock, tied directly under my ham- 
mock, and who served for clock and night-watchman 
to the establishment. 

Agapito, our host, had an easy time as overseer 
of this domain, his only occupation being from time 
to time to scour the savannas in search of young foals 
which might have been attacked by the gusano. This 
is the larvae of a species of fly deposited in the umbili- 
cal cord of the new born, and which, if not promptly 
removed, will eat into the very vitals. It is fortu- 
nately not difficult to destroy them by the use of pow- 
dered cehadilla, the seed of a liliaceous plant (Yera- 
trum cebadilla) abounding in veratrine. For this 
purpose, the keeper is always provided with a horn 
filled with the poisonous drug, and a wooden spatula. 



SCENES AT THE FISHERY. 



59 



With the latter he digs out the worms and fills the 
wound with the powder to prevent a renewal of their 
attacks. 

Groves and meadows unequalled for their luxu- 
riance and natural beauty surrounded us on all sides, 
while numerous springs and rivulets, issuing from the 
foot of the terrace -like Mesas, rushed down the de- 
clivity of the plain, increasing the volume of the 
beautiful Guarico on whose banks stood the primitive 
abode of our unsophisticated host. This river is justly 
celebrated for the abundance and superiority of its 
fish ; so, without delay, providing myself with hook 
and line, I proceeded thither, being anxious to procure 
specimens for my sketch-book, and also a substitute 
for our daily fare of beef. But, strange to relate, 
each time I dropped hook in the water, it was carried 
away in some mysterious manner, without the least 
motion being imparted to the float. My tackle, which 
I had brought from England, although arranged for 
fly-fishing, was capable of bearing a fish of many 
pounds weight ; but as I soon lost all my stock in 
hand in the vain endeavor to secure my specimens, I 
gave up in disgust and returned to the Ranch that 
the mystery might, if possible, be explained. On 
seeing my slender lines, mine host with a broad grin 
facetiously remarked that they were good to play at 
fishing with, the only drawback to the amusement 
being that the caribe, a fish not larger than a perch, 
would carry off all my playthings. Impossible, said 
I ; the lines are strong enough to lift you out of the 
water if necessary ; to this he quietly replied, direct- 
ing my attention to a mutilated finger of his right 



60 



WILD SCENES IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



hand, " Do you see this ? well, not long ago I was 
washing my hands in the river after slaughtering a 
calf, when a caribe darted at my finger and carried 
off a part before I was even aware of his approach." 
Here was a serious obstacle to my favorite sport, and 
to the pleasure that Mr. Thomas and I had anticipated 
in sketching the various kinds of fish peculiar to that 
region. Fortunately, a short distance down the river 
was a fishing encampment provided with all the ne- 
cessary appliances for obtaining the fish in large 
quantities. Of these we resolved to avail ourselves ; 
but as several others of our party were equally inter- 
ested, our leader despatched a messenger to the fish- 
ermen, inviting them to come up the river with their 
nets, and fish in our presence. To this they readily 
acceded, and soon after made their appearance pad- 
dling themselves over the water in four large canoes 
laden, among other things, with their chinchorros or 
seines, which they at once proceeded to spread across 
the stream, covering a deep charco or pool known to 
contain abundance of fish. Although the river at 
this season was very low, owing to the usual summer 
drought, pools of considerable depth were left at in- 
tervals, and in these the fish sought refuge in vast 
numbers from the season's heat and from the eager 
pursuit of the fishermen, of which the latter sang, 
while spreading their seines, in the following lines : 

Guavina le dijo a Vagre 
Vamonos al caramero, 
Porque ya viene el verano 
Y nos coge el chincliorrero : 



SCENES AT THE FISHERY. 



61 



Guavina said to the Yagre, 
Let us quickly seek the cover, 
Till the summer's heat is over, 
Lest the seine make us its prey. 

As the nets were dragged towards each other, the 
fish could be seen by thousands moving within the 
space embraced by the seines. Indeed, so numerous 
were they, that it soon became impossible to pull 
them in shore without previously relieving them of a 
portion of their contents. Accordingly, some of the 
men, "armed with throw-nets, harpoons, and vicheros 
— these last large hooks affixed to wooden handles — 
plunged into the midst of the finny multitude, and 
commenced an onslaught on the largest among them. 
Presently one of the men came out with a monstrous 
fellow of the catfish tribe beautifully striped like a 
Bengal tiger, and like him having a thick snout fur- 
nished with long barbs. This species is called the 
vagre rayado or striped catfish, and is much esteemed 
by people of all classes as a substitute for beef during 
Lent. Large quantities are salted and sent at that 
time to the capital and other cities, where, under the 
name of pescado llanero, it forms one of the delicacies 
of the season. Some of these fish attain an enormous 
size, measuring five, six, and even seven feet in length, 
and are so fat that a single one is a load for* two men. 
There are other varieties of catfish, smaller in size, 
although equally rich in flavor ; one of them — the 
Engor da-may ordomo — is, I conclude from its name, 
a special favorite with overseers. 

In diving with the vichero, much caution was 
necessary on the part of the men lest they should be 



62 



WILD SCENES IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



hooked by their hasty companions in lieu of the fish. 
A more important source of anxiety to the divers, 
was several dangerous fish among the multitude 
struggling in the water, such as the Kay-fish, whose 
tail is furnished with a sting three inches long, with 
which it inflicts a very painful wound ; Electric eels, 
whose touch alone will paralyze in an instant the mus- 
cles of the strongest man ; the Payara, shaped some- 
what like a sabre, and equally dangerous. The upper 
jaw of this last is furnished with a formidable pair of 
fangs, not unlike those of the rattlesnake ; with these 
it inflicts as smooth a gash as if cut with a razor ; 
and finally, the caribe, whose ravenous and blood- 
thirsty propensities have caused it to be likened to 
the cannibal tribe of Indians, once the terror of those 
regions, but now scattered over the towns and vil- 
lages along the course of the Orinoco. Each time the 
nets were hauled in shore, half a dozen or more of 
these little pests were to be seen jumping in the 
crowd, their jaws wide open tearing whatever came 
in their way, especially the meshes of the nets, which 
they soon rendered useless. Their sharp triangular 
teeth, arranged in the same manner as those of the 
shark, are so strong, that neither copper, steel, nor 
twine can withstand them. The sight of any red sub- 
stance, bl<5od especially, seems to rouse their sanguin- 
ary appetite ; and as they usually go in swarms, it is 
extremely dangerous for man or beast to enter the 
water with even a scratch upon their bodies. Horses 
wounded with the spur are particularly exposed to 
their attacks, and so rapid is the work of destruction, 
that unless immediate assistance is rendered, the fish 



SCENES AT THE FISHERY. 



63 



soon penetrate the abdomen of the animal and speed- 
ily reduce it to a skeleton ; hence, doubtless, their 
appellation of mondonguero — tripe-eater. There are 
other varieties of the caribe in the rivers of the 
Llanos, but none so bold and bloodthirsty as this 
glutton of the waters. So abundant is this species 
in some rivers of the Apure, that it is a common 
saying among Llaneros : " there is more caribe than 
water." 




Every feature of this miniature cannibal denotes 
the ferocity and sanguinary nature of its tastes. The 
piercing eye, surrounded by a bloody-looking ring, 
is expressive of its cruel and bloodthirsty disposition. 
Its under jaw, lined with a thick cartilaginous mem- 
brane which adds greatly to its strength, protrudes 
considerably beyond the upper, giving, as this forma- 
tion of jaw does to all animals possessing it, likewise 
an expression of ferocity. Large spots of a brilliant 
orange hue cover a great portion of its body, espe- 
cially the belly, fins, and tail. Toward the back, it is 
of a bluish ash color, with a slight tint of olive green, 
the intermediate spaces being of a pearly white, while 



WILD SCENES IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



the gill-covers are tinged with red. The inhabitants 
being often compelled to swim across streams infested 
with them, entertain more fear of these little creatures 
than of that world-renowned monster, the crocodile. 
This last, although a formidable antagonist in the 
water, can be easily avoided and even conquered in 
single combat by daring men, while the former, from 
their diminutive size and greater numbers, can do more 
mischief in a short time than a legion of crocodiles. 

The other kinds of caribe, although larger in size, 
are less dangerous than the preceding, and some even 
perfectly harmless. Among these, the black caribe 
of the Apure and Orinoco rivers is considered dainty 
eating. The caribito is also a harmless pretty little 
fish, with back of a fine green color, and belly white 
with occasional streaks of pink. 

In spite, however, of all these vicious creatures, 
and the great depth of the water, the fishermen accom- 
plished their work in a manner that would have done 
credit to the fearless pearl-divers of the ocean, more 
especially the swimmers, who are constantly in dan- 
ger from some of the fish while gliding through the 
water in their pursuit. Those in the canoes were, of 
course, less liable to be attacked, although it often 
happened that a payara, being peculiarly adapted 
for darting out of the water, would clear the nets with 
a spring and fall in the midst of the paddlers, causing 
a momentary confusion among them. My attention 
was particularly attracted to the skill of the men in 
throwing their hand nets, sometimes lying on their 
stomach on the surface of the water, their hands en- 
cumbered with the nets ; others would stand perfectly 



SCENES AT THE FISHERY. 



65 



erect, half their bodies out of water, and without any 
footing to serve them as point oVappui. In the same 
manner, those whose business it was to drive the fish 
towards the seines, managed their huge batons, and 
all apparently without the least inconvenience. Sud- 
denly their labors were interrupted by a serious ob- 
stacle in the shape of a caiman or alligator struggling 
hard between the nets to regain his freedom. Here 
was a sufficient test of the courage and ability of the 
fishers. If the monster remained, he would not only 
endanger the nets, but also the progress of the men 
through the water, they being liable at any moment 
to come in contact with his powerful jaws. It was 
therefore decided to get rid of the intruder at all 
hazards. To accomplish this, a lazo was procured, 
and to the astonishment of all the blancos present, a 
man went down with it to the bottom in search of the 
monster, with the avowed object of lazoing him under 
the water. After a few moments of, to us, most anx- 
ious suspense, but which the hardy fishermen re- 
garded as child's play, their companion rose to the 
surface panting for breath, not yet having ascertained 
the precise position of his intended victim. After 
inhaling sufficient air, the diver again disappeared, 
coming up in due time with the glad tidings that the 
enemy was captured, in proof whereof he handed us 
the other end of the lazo that we might drag him out. 
This was no easy task, as these reptiles, by their pe- 
culiar conformation, have immense power while under 
water, and it required the united efforts of all on 
shore to land him. This accomplished, we were per- 
plexed in what manner to despatch him, as no steel 



66 



WILD SCENES IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



instrument can penetrate the thick cuirass of the 
caiman, except it be in the armpits ; but so violent 
were his struggles, that it was impossible to strike 
him there. At last the Doctor, more sagacious than 
the rest of us in anatomical operations, plunged a 
harpoon into the nape of the neck. The effect was 
that of paralyzing at once the movements of the 
prisoner, after which he was easily stabbed. 

The manner in which our gallant diver accom- 
plished his daring feat was thus explained by his 
companions ; the caiman, like the domestic hog, 
is said to delight in being scratched about the ribs,* 
and of this the diver perhaps availed himself in 
order to place the noose around his neck, being very 
careful to approach him from behind, as it is a well- 
known fact that these reptiles, owing to the nature of 
their collar vertebras, cannot easily turn round. The 
alligator is not so dangerous as its congener the croco- 
dile of the Orinoco and its tributaries ; few real croco- 
diles ever ascend the Guarico as far as San Pablo. 
However, a case had occurred here not long before, 
when a man disappeared under rather mysterious cir- 
cumstances, and there was good reason to surmise 
that his loss was due to one of these gentry. It ap- 
pears that the seines, being entangled around a snag 
at the bottom of the river, a man was, as usual, sent to 
remove the obstruction ; considerable time elapsing 
without his reappearance, his comrades, seriously 
alarmed, instituted a diligent search, but no vestige of 
the unfortunate man was ever discovered. It never oc- 

* Since the above was in type, I find this fact corroborated by Sir 
J. Emerson Tennent in his interesting " Sketches on the Natural 
History of Ceylon," p. 284. 



SCENES AT THE FISHERY. 



67 



curred to his friends that he might have fallen a prey 
to a crocodile, and the calamity was "universally as- 
cribed to the supernatural influence of some evil genii 
of the deep. From that time, the spot has borne the 
ominous name of the Encantado or haunted pool. 

All obstructions to the progress of the nets were 
at length removed, and a sufficient quantity of fish 
having been taken therefrom, we all assisted in pull- 
ing them in, and a few moments afterwards had the 
satisfaction, of beholding the sand banks on which we 
were, strewn with the proceeds of the two seines. 

It would be impossible to convey an adequate 
idea of the singular forms and brilliant hues of most 
of these fish, all new to me. The Chema, in particu- 
lar, attracted my attention from their abundance 
and peculiar formation. Some attain a large size, 
weighing as much as a hundred pounds, and their 
flesh is so delicate as to deserve the appellation 
of river veal. The mouth is comparatively small, 
and set with a row of teeth bearing a strong resem- 
blance to those of the human species. 

The fishing having been solely for our amusement, 
and more game obtained than we required for our 
consumption, some was distributed among the people 
of the neighborhood who had collected to witness the 
sport, and the remainder given to the fishermen, who 
received besides a handsome compensation for their 
trouble in coming so far from their encampment. 

During the distribution of the fish, a singular in- 
cident took place which illustrates at once the tena- 
city of life with which reptiles are endowed, and the 
electrical powers of that most singular creature, the 



68 



WILD SCENES IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



gymnotus or electric eel. A boy had discovered one 
of these among the heap of fish on the beach, and was 
dragging it along by means of a vichero to avoid the 
shocks, when the body of the eel came accidentally 
in contact with the carcass of the caiman. This last, 
which, after the rough treatment it had received from 
our medical adviser, was supposed to be quite dead, 
much to the surprise of all, opened his huge jaws 
and closed them with a loud crash. The Doctor, espe- 
cially, who, from his professional knowledge in surgi- 
cal operations, had pronounced it beyond recovery, 
was the loudest in his expressions of astonishment at 
this unexpected turn. It was, however, merely a 
convulsive movement, induced by contact with the 
eel, and similar to that produced on the limbs of a frog 
by a galvanic current ; for, afterward, the reptile re- 
mained without further signs of returning life. Science 
will, ere long, take advantage of the electric eel. 



SCENES AT THE FISHERY. 



69 



I would here most willingly entertain my readers 
with an account of the nature and habits of these 
" animal electrical machines," had not the great 
Humboldt already elucidated the subject in the most 
comprehensive and brilliant manner. To his admir- 
able works I will therefore refer the reader for a full 
and graphic description of this, one of the most curi- 
ous of fish. It was in one of the numerous tributary 
creeks of this river, that the distinguished traveller 
procured the gymnoti for his experiments ; perhaps 
from amongst the progenitors of the above mentioned. 
The manner in which they were obtained differed 
somewhat, however, from the one adopted by us on 
this occasion. Knowing how difficult it was to catch 
these eels on account of their extreme agility and 
powerful electrical discharges, the guides collected in 
the savannas a drove of wild horses, which they forced 
into a pool of water abounding in gymnoti. " The 
extraordinary noise caused by the horses' hoofs makes 
the fish issue from the mud and excites them to at- 
tack. The yellowish and livid eels, resembling large 
aquatic serpents, swim on the surface of the water 
and crowd under the bellies of the horses and mules. 
A contest between animals of so different an organi- 
zation presents a very striking spectacle. The In- 
dians, provided with harpoons and long slender reeds, 
surround the pool closely, and some climb up the 
trees, the branches of which extend horizontally over 
the surface of the water. By their wild cries, and 
the length of their reeds, they prevent the horses 
from running away and reaching the bank of the 
pool. The eels, stunned by the noise, defend them- 



70 



WILD SCENES IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



selves by the repeated discharge of their electric bat- 
teries. For a long interval they seem likely to prove 
victorious. Several horses sink beneath the violence 
of the invisible strokes which they receive from all 
sides in organs the most essential to life ; and stunned 
by the force and frequency of the shocks, they disap- 
pear under water." 

" I wish," adds the traveller, " that a clever artist 
could have depicted the most animated period of the 
attack ; the group of Indians surrounding the pond, 
the horses with their manes erect and eyeballs wild 
with pain and fright, striving to escape from the 
electric storm which they had roused, and driven 
back by the shouts and long whips of the excited In- 
dians ; the livid yellow eels, like great water snakes, 
swimming near the surface and pursuing their enemy ; 
all these objects presented a most picturesque and 
exciting ' ensemble.' In less than five minutes two 
horses were killed ; the eel, being more than five feet 
in length, glides beneath the body of the horse and 
discharges the whole length of its electric organ. It 
attacks, at the same time, the heart, the digestive 
viscera, and the cceliac fold of the abdominal nerves. 
I thought the scene would have a tragic termination, 
and expected to see most of the quadrupeds killed ; 
but the Indians assured me that the fishing would 
soon be finished, and that only the first attack of the 
gymnoti was really formidable. In fact, after the 
conflict had lasted a quarter of an hour, the mules 
and horses appeared less alarmed ; they no longer 
erected their manes, and their eyes expressed less 
pain and terror. One no longer saw them struck 



SCENES AT THE FISHERY. 



71 



down in the water, and the eels, instead of swimming 
to the attack, retreated from their assailants and ap- 
proached the shore. The Indians now began to nse 
their missiles ; and by means of the long cord at- 
tached to the harpoon, jerked the fish ont of the 
water without receiving any shock so long as the 
cord was dry." 

The electric eel, although much dreaded by man, 
is greatly esteemed by gourmands. It is necessary, 
however, to deprive the fish of those parts constitut- 
ing the electrical apparatus, which are rather spongy 
and unpalatable. Its bones, administered in the form 
of a decoction, are said to act powerfully in cases of 
difficult parturition. For this object, the spine of 
the fish is carefully preserved suspended from the 
thatch roof of the huts in that region where the ser- 
vices of accoucheurs are totally unknown. 

Among the promiscuous assemblage of fish scat- 
tered on the sand beach, ready to transfix the hand 
that might inadvertently touch them, were many 
sting-rays. This species, like its prototype the famous 
" Devil-fish " of the Caribbean Sea, is quite circular 
and flat, with a tail over a foot in length, very thick 
at the base and tapering towards the end. Near the 
middle on the upper part, it is armed with a long 
and sharp-pointed bone or sting, finely serrated on 
two sides, which the fish can raise or lay flat at will. 
When disturbed, the ray, by a quick movement of 
the tail, directs its sting towards the object, which it 
seldom fails to reach. The wound thus inflicted is so 
severe, that the whole nervous system is convulsed, 
the person becoming rigid and benumbed in a few 



72 



WILD SCENES IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



moments. Even long after the violent effects of the 
wound have subsided, the part affected retains a slug- 
gish ulceration, which has in many instances baffled 
the skill of the best surgeons. Some creeks and la- 
goons of stagnant water are so infested with them, 
that it is almost certain destruction to venture into 
them. They usually frequent the shallow banks of 
muddy pools, where they may be seen at all times 
watching for prey ; and, as if conscious of their 
powers, scarcely deign to move off when approached 
by man. They, also, are considered good eating, on 
which account they frequently fall a prey to hungry 
boys and vultures, who wage constant war upon them 
with spear and talon. 

Mr. Thomas and I had plenty of occupation in 
sketching the various specimens before us ; but the 
speedy approach of night compelled us to relinquish 
our agreeable pastime ; thus many curious fish which 
we would have liked to preserve, had to be consigned 
to the frying-pan instead of to our portfolios. 

In the mean time our able cook, Monico, and half 
a dozen of Llanero assistants — all of whom are more or 
less accomplished in the art of cooking in their own pe- 
culiar style — were busily engaged throughout the af- 
ternoon preparing the spoils of the day for our supper. 
A fat calf was also killed in honor of the occasion, 
and roasted before a blazing fire under the trees. The- 
Llaneros are quite skilled in roasting an ox or calf, 
which they divide in sections according to the flavor 
of each particular morceau. These they string upon 
long wooden spits, and keep them turning before the 



SCENES AT THE FISHERY. 



73 



fire until sufficiently cooked. The ribs of the animal, 
taken out entire, usually form the most favorite mor- 
sel ; but I would recommend to future travellers in 
that country the entreverado, made up of the animal's 
entrails, such as the liver, heart, lungs, and kidneys, 
cut into pieces of convenient size and spitted ; then 
enveloped in the fat mesenteric membrane of the an- 
imal, and cooked in its own juices. 

In addition to this abundant supply of came 
asada, we had fish in every style, smoked, broiled, en 
sancoc/iOy (bouiili,) &c, with plenty of bread prepared 
by the wife and daughters of our equerry. Just as 
every one had eaten, as he supposed, his fill, one of 
our assistants made his appearance bending under the 
weight of a boiling caldron containing a rich bouiili 
of cherna heads, and urged us to partake of his hum- 
ble fare. Although this was rather reversing the 
order of courses, we were finally prevailed upon to 
taste the soup he had prepared with so much care for 
us; and no sooner was the rich broth tasted by our 
epicurean party, than it was forthwith devoured with 
unimpaired appetites ; but my enjoyment of the broth 
was somewhat spoiled by coming in contact with a 
row of omniverous-looking teeth, which so reminded 
me of a human skull, that I was constrained to 
throw my portion away, although I must confess 
that I never tasted soup superior to it, 

4 



CHAPTER VI. 



WILD HOESES. 



The fishing over, the main object of our expedition 
to La Yegiiera was next attended to, namely, that of 
adding to our madrina of supernumerary horses from 
the abundant stock of this farm. An entire day was 
passed in riding through its enchanting groves and 
meadows, inspecting the numerous droves of mares, 
guarded by their proud jpadrotes or stallions. Each 
troop is under the control of one of these, who not 
only prevent their mingling with other packs, but en- 
deavor also to appropriate all the other mares they 
can kidnap from their neighbors. The conquest, how- 
ever, is not obtained without a determined resistance 
from their rightful lords, which occasions fierce com- 
bats between the rivals. When any stranger ap- 
proaches, the whole troop boldly advances towards 
the object of their alarm, neighing, snorting, and 
throwing their slim and beautiful forms into the most 
graceful attitudes. "When at the distance of a hun- 
dred paces, they all halt, and five or six scouts are 
detached from the main body to reconnoitre. These 



WILD HORSES. 



75 



approach still nearer, and stretching their necks and 
ears, seem, with wild glance and cautious movement, 
to inquire from the stranger the object of this intru- 
sion, while, in the mean time, the stallion keeps the 
whole troop in readiness for retreat in case of pursuit. 
When this last occurs, the scouts hastily incorporate 
themselves with the main body, while the stallion 
orders the retreat as skilfully as a good general might 
under similar circumstances, stopping occasionally to 
watch the enemy's movements, but never resuming 
the lead until the troop is out of danger. When thus 
wildly coursing over the prairies in packs of one or 
two hundred, headed by their respective stallions, in- 
spired, as it were, by the freedom of the plain, noth- 
ing can surpass their magnificent appearance, nor the 
proud air of liberty with which they snuff the passing 
breeze. We one day brought to the Ranch a large 
drove, from which we selected those required for the 
expedition. This occupied the men for a couple of 
days, as it was discovered that most of the animals 
were in bad condition from burrs and garrapatas, 
another destructive insect peculiar to those places, of 
the size and shape of a bed-bug, and very distressing 
to animals. It adheres with such tenacity to the skin 
of the poor brutes, that it requires to be pulled by 
hand in order to detach it ; if left undisturbed, it will 
suck the blood until its body becomes distended to 
many times the natural size. It attacks all kinds of 
animals, but more especially horses : these last suffer 
in consequence, from malignant sores about their ears, 
which soon wither and drop off. 

The horses were so wild that they had to be broken 



76 



WILD SCENES IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



in before they could "be of any service. This opera- 
tion — which might as well be termed breaking down 
horses, as a great number are ruined by it — affords 
the Llaneros a fine opportunity for testing their ability 
in coping with this, the most spirited animal in the 
world. It is also undoubtedly one of the most diffi- 
cult performances on cattle-farms, requiring strong 
nerve and great skill on the part of the rider to with- 
stand the kicks and plunges of the animal and retain 
his seat. The method practised in the Llanos differs 
but little from that of the Pampas of Buenos Ayres, 
so ably described by Sir Francis Head, Darwin, and 
other eminent writers. I will quote some passages 
from the first of these authors respecting this diver- 
tisement among the Gauchos ; their method I specially 
commend to the numerous disciples of the renowned 
Karey, who has so astonished the Old World and the 
New with his wonderful skill in horse-taming. 

" The corral was quite full of horses, most of which 
were young ones, about three and four years old. The 
capataz, mounted on a strong, steady horse, rode into 
the corral, and threw his lazo over the neck of a young 
horse, and dragged him to the gate. For some time he 
was very unwilling to leave his comrades, but the 
moment he was forced out of the corral, his first idea 
was to gallop away ; however, the jerk of the lazo 
checked him in a most effectual manner. The peons 
now ran after him on foot, and threw the lazo over 
his four legs, just above the fetlocks, and twitching 
it, they pulled his legs from under him so suddenly, 
that I really thought the fall he got had killed him. 
In an instant a Gaucho was seated upon his head, and 



WILD HORSES. 



77 



with his long knife, in a few seconds he cut off the 
whole of the horse's mane, while another cut the hair 
from the end of his tail. This they told me is a mark 
that the horse has been once mounted. They then 
put a piece of hide into his mouth to serve as a bit, 
and a strong hide-halter on his head. The Gaucho 
who was to mount, arranged his spurs, which were 
unusually long and sharp, and while two men held 
the animal by his ears, he put on the saddle, which he 
girthed extremely tight ; he then caught hold of the 
horse's ear and in an instant vaulted into the saddle ; 
upon which the man who was holding the horse by 
the halter, threw the end of it to the rider, and from 
that moment no one seemed to take any further notice 
of him. The horse instantly began to jump in a man- 
ner which made it very difficult for the rider to keep 
his seat, and quite different from the kick or plunge 
of an English horse ; however, the Gaucho's spur soon 
set him going, and off he galloped, doing every thing 
in his power to throw his rider. Another horse was 
immediately brought from the corral, and so quick was 
the operation, that twelve Gauchos were mounted in 
a space which, I think, hardly exceeded an hour." 

"It was singular to see the different manner in 
which the different horses behaved. Some would 
actually scream while the Gauchos were girthing the 
saddle upon their backs ; some would instantly lie 
down and roll over it ; while some would stand with- 
out being held, their legs stiff and in unnatural direc- 
tions, their necks half bent towards their tails, and 
looking so vicious and sulky, that I could not help 
thinking I could not have mounted one of them for 



78 



WILD SCENES IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



any reward that could be offered me ; and they were 
invariably the most difficult to subdue." 

By repeating this treatment a number of times, 
and a sound thrashing with the chaparro whenever 
they prove refractory, the riders finally succeed in 
conquering the indomitable spirit of their steeds, 
although they long retain a vicious propensity to 
occasionally practise their old tricks, either by throw- 
ing themselves backwards upon their riders, or sud- 
denly plunging headlong at a furious rate. Another 
dangerous habit is that of whirling rapidly, when least 
expected, in an opposite direction to the one intended 
by the rider, who, unless very expert, is unseated and 
liable to have his neck broken. But, when these 
horses are at length thoroughly broken in, there are 
few in the world capable of performing their duty so 
well as those trained in the Llanos of Yenezuela. 

My allusion on a former page to the renowned 
Rarey, recalls to my memory the name of Santos 
Nieves, a famous picador of San Pablo, whose ingen- 
ious mode of entrapping horses appears to have been 
formed on the same principle as that which has char- 
acterized Mr. Rarey's method. 

Instead of dashing after the droves, with lazo in 
hand, and wild shouts, as is usual when the capture 
of one or more horses is intended, Santos Kieves made 
use of every precaution to avoid giving these shy crea- 
tures the least alarm ; and so successfully were all his 
expeditions executed, that he achieved for himself the 
tremendous reputation of being a horse-witch. His 
plan was, however, the simplest possible. If the 
object was to capture only a single animal — which 



WILD HORSES. 



79 



feat is peculiarly difficult to accomplish in woody 
places especially — he made preparations as if for a 
long journey, previous to seeking the haunts of his in- 
tended captive. Having sojourned in San Pablo for 
over half a century, he was thoroughly acquainted with 
all their accustomed places of resort. The first impulse 
of the animal on finding himself followed, was to scam- 
per off ; but the patient picador, instead of hurrying in 
pursuit, quietly remained on the same spot, watching 
and waiting the next move of the animal. Presently 
the horse, seeing he was not pursued, would conclude 
to return and reconnoitre the object of his alarm. Sat- 
isfied from the quiet attitude of the man, that nothing 
need be feared from him, the horse resumed his brous- 
ing near by. Again the man cautiously and slowly 
advances, until perceived anew by the horse, who, as 
before, beats a rapid retreat. Impelled by curiosity, 
he returned for the third time; again inspects the 
picador, who remains motionless as before, upon seeing 
which, the animal concludes he may safely continue 
his meal. These manoeuvrings, again and again re- 
peated, usually occupied an entire day, towards the 
close of which, if the horse were not very scary, the 
picador, with cautious approach and gentle words, 
succeeded in placing the halter around his neck. 
The extreme coyness, however, of most of these ani- 
mals, frequently compelled Santos Kieves to camp out 
for the night and resume his pursuit, not only the fol- 
lowing morning, but, if necessary, for three or more 
consecutive days, at the end of which he always re- 
turned in triumph with his captive to the farm. 

The relative value of these horses depends princi- 



80 



WILD SCENES IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



pally on their form, color, and gait. The Llaneros are 
quite skilful in teaching them a variety of paces and 
evolutions, which are as essential to their hazardous 
occupations, as is the helm to the mariner. For war 
purposes, they are especially invaluable, as was prac- 
tically demonstrated in the long struggle with the 
Spaniards, who not being equally expert in the man- 
agement of their steeds, were, in consequence, often at 
the mercy of their antagonists. A good charger must 
be endowed with an easy mouth, good wind, and quick 
movement to either side, so that when pursued by 
an enemy, he can be made to whirl suddenly to the 
attack if necessary. The same rule applies to those 
used in chasing wild animals, especially bulls, which, 
when hotly pursued, often face about and charge their 
assailants. 

It is equally indispensable in warm climates, that 
a horse should possess an easy gait for travelling. In 
this respect, they are trained to the particular fancy 
or requirements of the rider. Some prefer a gentle 
trot on a long journey, as being the least fatiguing to. 
the horse; but, for city riding, or short journeys, an 
amble, rack, or pasitrote — something between both — 
is usually adopted. The test of a good pacing horse 
consists in " the rider being able to carry a glass of 
water in his hand without spilling," while that of a 
first-rate charger is to stop, when at the height of 
his speed, on the slightest pull of the bridle. 

Great regard is also paid to the color of horses ; 
piebald, cream, and the various shades of white, are 
usually preferred. But, where great endurance and 
strength are requisite, connoisseurs generally select 



WILD HORSES. 



81 



those of a darker color. Their price in the country is 
greatly enhanced of late in consequence of a devas- 
tating disease, which has been raging among them for 
several years past. Horses were so plentiful in the 
Llanos at one time, that a large export trade in their 
hides was carried on with foreign countries. A good 
horse, which then only brought five dollars, now costs 
from eighty to one hundred, and even more, according 
to the fancy of the parties interested. — Great numbers 
of the inhabitants were also carried away by the same 
scourge, which swept over the land like the cholera, 
not even sparing the fish in the rivers. 

This frightful epidemic, which the Llaneros have 
appropriately styled jPeste, or plague, is supposed to 
have originated in the great primeval forest of San 
Camilo, at the head waters of the Apure, from decom- 
position of the vegetable detritus accumulated there 
during centuries. From thence, travelling eastward 
along the course of the river, the epidemic continued 
its ravages among the inhabitants of the towns and 
villages situated on the right bank, attacking first one 
place and then another, until the whole province 
scarcely escaped depopulation. Even when the mor- 
tality abated, the country, which until then had pos- 
sessed a most healthful climate, never recovered its 
former salubrity ; fevers of a more or less dangerous 
character prevail from that time, especially towards 
the end of the rainy season, while the raising of horses 
has been entirely abandoned in consequence. 

The first symptoms of the epidemic appeared 
among the crocodiles, whose hideous carcasses might 
then be seen floating down the stream in such pro- 
4* 



82 



WILD SCENES IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



digious numbers, that both the waters and air of that 
fine region were tainted with their effluvium. It was 
observed that they were first seized with a violent fit 
of coughing, followed by a black vomit which com- 
pelled them to quit their watery home, and finally find 
a grave amongst the thickets on the river banks. 
The disease next attacked the fish and other inhabit- 
ants of the water, with equal violence, until it was 
feared the streams would be depopulated. The fearful 
mortality among them can be better estimated from 
the fact that, for more than a month, the rippling 
waves of that noble river, the Apure, were constantly 
washing down masses of putrefaction, its placid sur- 
face being by them actually hidden from view for 
several weeks. 

The next victims were the pachidermata of the 
swamps, and it was a pitiable sight to see the sluggish 
chiguires (capyvaras) and the grizzly wild-boars 
dragging their paralyzed hind-quarters after them; 
hence the name of derrengadera, applied to this 
disease. 

Not even monkeys in their aerial retreats, escaped 
the contagion, and their melancholy cries resounded 
day and night through the woods like wailings of the 
eternally lost. 

It is a singular fact, that while the scourge did not 
spare any of the countless droves of horses roaming 
the savannas of the Apure, and adjacent plains, don- 
keys and horned cattle were seldom, if ever, attacked, 
so that, by their aid, the owners of cattle-farms were 
enabled to prevent the entire dispersion of their herds. 

A curious incident related in connection with this 



WILD HORSES. 



83 



public calamity, is very current in the Llanos, respect- 
ing the origin of the disease among horses. Eugenio 
Torralva, a man of uncommon industry, although of 
humble extraction, had accumulated quite a hand- 
some fortune by the raising of cattle, on the borders 
of La Portuguesa ; but his chief wealth consisted in 
horses, on which he greatly prided himself — so much 
so that, on one occasion, while a distinguised person- 
age was passing through his estate, Torralva directed 
Ms attention to the numerous droves grazing in the 
plains; then turning to his guest, who appeared 
equally delighted with the sight, said to him, " Think 
you, General, that I shall ever be in want of horses ? 
Ni que Dios quiera! (Not even if God Almighty 
wished it !) " he blasphemously added. Two years 
later, the witness to this impious boast was again on 
his way to the Llanos : near San Juan he met an old 
man, apparently in a very destitute condition, riding 
a donkey. Not knowing who the wayfarer was, he 
bowed, as is customary, and rode on without taking 
further notice of the old man or his uncouth equip- 
ment ; whereupon the stranger, waving his hand to 
him, cried, " Why, General, have you already for- 
gotten your friend Torralva? " He that " giveth and 
taketh away " had deprived him of every horse, and 
the once wealthy farmer was now compelled to travel 
on an ass. It is asserted by the Llaneros that soon 
after he uttered the above-mentioned blasphemy, the 
Peste broke out among his immense stock, from 
whence they say the disease spread to other farms, 
until the contagion became general. 

It is not a little singular that although the horse 



84 



WILD SCENES IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



was unknown to the aborigines of America, at the 
time of its conquest, the researches of Darwin and 
other eminent geologists have shown them to have 
existed in vast numbers on that continent contempora- 
neously with the Mastodon, Megatherium, Mylodon, 
and other extinct animals. " Certainly, it is a marvel- 
lous fact, in the history of mammalia," observes that 
assiduous explorer, " that in South America a native 
horse should have lived and disappeared, to be suc- 
ceeded, in after ages, by the countless herds descended 
from the few introduced by the Spanish colonists ! " 

In general these animals are of middling size, and, 
like their progenitor, the Andalusian horse, endowed 
with a fiery spirit, (if not checked by ill-treatment or 
abuse,) and surprising endurance, especially during 
the exciting chase of wild cattle, when they are kept 
in constant motion for many consecutive days. 

The steed of the Llanero, like his master, is accus- 
tomed to the inclemency of the seasons, being through- 
out the year kept in the open air, but always within 
reach : hence the well-known adage, El ojo del amo 
engorda el caballo, (the eye of the master will fatten 
the horse ;) which tidage implies the advantage of 
keeping a sharp lookout on other things besides horses. 



CHAPTER VII. 



ACROSS THE P AM PAS. 



Early in the morning of the fifth day, we left the 
Ranch at La Yegiiera to journey southward, followed 
by our long train of baggage mules and relay horses, 
our good-natured host and keeper, Agapito, escorting 
us for some distance in the double capacity of guide 
and entertainer. Without his assistance it would 
have been difficult for us to proceed on our journey, 
which lay across a rolling prairie, covered in some 
places by magnificent groves of tall timber trees and 
a vast multitude of slender, towering palms, which, 
by the glimmering light of the stars, appeared like a 
mighty fleet of ships guarding the entrance to some 
giant harbor. Although the morning was dark, and 
there was properly speaking no road, but only a 
beaten track branching off in all directions, our 
guide, who knew every inch of the ground, led us 
on without once turning to the right or left, merrily 
chanting some of the lively ballads of the Llanos. 
Occasionally he was joined by other bards equally 



86 



WILD SCENES IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



distinguished for their powers of voice and versifica- 
tion, thus producing very animated choruses of a 
character peculiarly wild. 

As the sun rose in the horizon, we came upon 
another extensive plateau, the Mesa del Rastro, 
stretching for several miles, unbroken by a single 
tree or shrub, but alive with numberless herds of 
cattle roaming in all directions, while flocks of birds 
of every plumage, all new to me, flew affrighted at 
our approach, filling the air with their wild, peculiar 
cries. Among these, the Taro-taro, a large bird of 
the Ibis tribe, which derives its name from its bell- 
like notes, and the Carretero or carter, a beautiful 
species of goose with variegated plumage and crimson 
bill, particularly attracted my attention. The latter 
is named from the rumbling noise it makes when on 
the wing, similar in sound to the rumbling of cart- 
wheels on hard ground. 

Continuing our march over this seemingly inter- 
minable plain, we at length descried in the horizon 
the village of El Rastro, where we purposed break- 
fasting and spending the hottest part of the day. We 
were cordially received and entertained at the house 
of Senor Llovera, a wealthy neighbor of ours, whose 
lands extended from the southern boundary of San 
Pablo to this village. 

El Rastro is noted for the beauty and fresh com- 
plexion of the women, in spite of an ardent climate ; 
and the males for their singular propensity to abstract 
the hair from the manes and tails of horses stopping 
at their village. This they often practise under the 
very noses of the unfortunate owners, for the purpose 



ACROSS THE PAMPAS. 



87 



of converting it into halters for their own steeds. 
Thus many a fine animal, which is supposed to be se- 
curely quartered for the night, is found next morning 
so shamefully disfigured that he can scarcely be rec- 
ognized by his owner, who swears by all the saints 
in the calendar to take summary vengeance on the 
first rastrero* who may chance to cross his path. 
Fortunately we had no cause of complaint, as our 
droves were constantly under the surveillance of a 
dozen or more vigilant keepers, perfectly au fait to 
the peculiar taste of that community. 

The beautiful complexion of the women is the 
more extraordinary from the fact that this village, 
which stands on the southern edge of the plateau, is 
entirely exposed to the glare of a tropical sun, and the 
hot breezes of the east. I nowhere met during my 
journey, such rosy cheeks and sparkling eyes as in 
this miserable hamlet. I could almost fancy them 
the fairies of the wilderness, bewitching the unsus- 
pecting traveller, while their perfidious helpmates 
practise their rascally tricks. 

These high terraces possess the advantage of being 
free from those noxious exhalations which render the 
plains below so unhealthy at certain seasons. Owing 
to the nature of the soil, mostly composed of a loose 
conglomerate or shingle, no permanent deposits of 
stagnant water are formed, endangering the health of 
the inhabitants, who are often blessed with a " green 
old age" and the possession of unimpaired mental 
and bodily faculties. Many are the instances where 

* Rastrero — a native of El Rastro — literally, a mean rogue. 



88 



WILD SCENES IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



men attaining seventy and eighty years are still able 
to take part in the hardy ventures of the country 
along with their more youthful companions. Among 
our own party we had several individuals of this class 
who, after experiencing all the vicissitudes of a de- 
structive war, had seen many a hot summer roll by, 
and camped out amidst the drenching showers of the 
rainy season, without any material change in their 
physique. Of these were Santos JNieves, the horse 
tamer, whose only food consisted of jerked beef, 
cheese, and papelon, upon which he had thrived ad- 
mirably up to the age of seventy ; Crisostomo, the 
negro major domo of San Pablo, who had lost all 
recollection of his. earlier days ; Conrado, the horse 
driver, whose age and experience in conducting our 
refractory madrinas had entitled him to the revered" 
appelation of taita or father. But the most extra- 
ordinary instance of longevity which has come to my 
ears, is in the Monagas family, also hailing from those 
regions, the age and number of whose members se- 
riously alarmed the republic at one time; for the 
multitude of their rapacious demands appeared end- 
less. The patriarch of the family is said to have at- 
tained the moderate age of one hundred and twenty 
years, yet was able to scour the savannas on horse- 
back after the cattle up to the time of his death. The 
memorable Jose Tadeo, the late Dictator and tyrant 
of the republic, is yet in his prime at the age of 
seventy-nine, while his brothers Gregorio and Jose 
Francisco, whose vandalic career of plunder and as- 
sassination was — happily for the country that gave 
them birth — cut off by the late revolution, did not 



ACROSS THE PAMPAS. 



89 



show the least signs of unabated vigor at the time of 
their death, although one of them was considerably 
older than Tadeo. And last, though not least, the 
renowned zambo general, Sotillo, the pet bull-dog of 
the family, to which, however, he bears no other re- 
lationship than that existing among rogues of the 
same stamp : although now in his eightieth year, he 
is able to carry on a successful partisan warfare 
against the existing government. Without a roof to 
shelter him, and no other equipment of war than the 
lance and horse, this savage chieftain, for such he is 
by birth and education, has set at defiance all the 
forces sent in his pursuit, and nearly brought the 
country to the verge of barbarism in his strivings to 
uphold the iniquitous claims of this rapacious family. 
Fierce in looks and menacing in tone, with a head 
more like a polar bear than a South American savage, 
he has become for a long time the terror of the eastern 
provinces, which are in constant dread of his sudden 
attacks — now cutting off small detachments of troops 
and defenceless individuals, now retreating to his 
fastness amidst the arid plains of the Alto Llano at 
the approach of a superior force. He has even suc- 
ceeded in defeating such on two or three occasions by 
his cunning manoeuvring and the rapidity of his 
movements. During half a century, his favorite oc- 
cupation has been hunting wild cattle and waging a 
guerilla warfare against society, which too often has 
been compelled to yield to the savage demands of 
this Bedouin of the Llanos. 

Having partaken of a substantial breakfast, we 



90 



WILD SCENES IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



bade adieu to our kind host, and again betook our- 
selves to our long and weary journey across the Pam- 
pas. Descending to the plain, stretching for a thou- 
sand miles to the foot of the Bolivian Andes, we at 
once entered into an entirely different country, show- 
ing unmistakable proofs of a diluvial origin. The 
soil, mostly a mixture of clay and sand, no longer 
offended the feet of our horses with those extensive 
beds of pebbles so trying to the poor beasts. The 
vegetation, also, whenever favored by some accident 
of the ground, showed a marked difference in charac- 
ter. The thorny mimosas, which only thrive in a 
gravelly soil, here disappeared altogether, and were 
replaced by dense groves of laurel and other balsam- 
iferous trees. The Copernicia palms, so extensively 
used for thatching and other economic purposes, re- 
appeared at first in a few scattered clumps, and after- 
wards in countless multitudes, literally closing the 
perspective with their tall, slender trunks. This 
beautiful palm is known in the country under various 
names, according to the uses made of its separate 
parts. These are almost as numerous as the leaves 
of its dense, symmetrical foliage. Thus, by the rural 
architect of the Llanos, it is called palma de cobija — 
thatch palm. When its leaves are plaited and neatly 
braided into hats that never wear out, it bears the 
name oipalma de sombrero / and when the same are 
employed in driving off the myriads of flies that in- 
fest the premises, or in fanning the heated dweller in 
those regions, it is called palma dbanico / and so on 
through a long catalogue. 

A house thatched with this palm is not only im- 



ACROSS THE PAMPAS. 



91 



pervious to the pouring showers of the tropics, but 
against fire also, as it is nearly incombustible : a hot 
coal dropped on it will only burn slowly where it 
falls, without spreading or raising any flame. It is, 
moreover, very durable and cool throughout the hot- 
test months. All the fences and corrals of the region 
where it abounds are made of the entire trunks of this 
palm, while the cattle find a grateful shelter under its 
dense shade. The slowness of its growth, observable 
even after centuries have elapsed, is another curious 
peculiarity of this palm. When Europeans first pen- 
etrated this wild region, they found extensive tracks 
covered with low, apparently stunted plants, a few 
inches only above ground. According to the recol- 
lection of the oldest inhabitants, of whom there are 
many in the country, as I have already stated, these 
dwarfish palm forests have not altered very percep- 
tibly during their lives. It must therefore have taken 
a full-grown plant thousands of years to attain the 
height of twenty feet, which is their average size. 

Emerging from these extensive palmares — palm 
forests — we again found ourselves in the midst of the 
boundless plain, assuming here as desolate an aspect 
as if fire had passed over its entire surface, a dreary 
waste of dried-up swamps, parched by the burning 
sun. Dismal tracts of these terroneros, as they are 
termed, lay before us, having the appearance of an 
extensive honey-comb, over which our jaded beasts 
stumbled at every step, increasing our weariness to a 
state almost bordering on desperation. The action of 
the rains washing the earth from around the grass 
tufts, which are afterwards parched and hardened by 



92 



WILD SCENES IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



the heat of the sun, leaves the surface of the ground 
covered with numerous little clumps of indurated 
clay, so closely packed that there was no footing for 
the animals. 

Even the cattle seemed to have forsaken this in- 
hospitable region, for, with the exception of a few 
stragglers, there were no signs of animation. Most 
of the cattle are transferred at this season to the fer- 
tile shores of the Apure and Portuguesa; or they 
abandon of their own accord these dreary wastes for 
well-known streams where they allay their thirst. 
Ours was intense on this occasion, while the tantaliz- 
ing mirage, that singular atmospheric phenomenon so 
peculiar to arid deserts, haunted us incessantly with 
its rippling, vapory phantom, a feeling in which our 
poor beasts seemed to participate, as with outstretched 
necks and ears they snuffed in vain the far horizon in 
search of the reviving element. By an unpardonable 
oversight, our men had neglected to fill their gourds 
with water, and now we felt the want of it. 

These scenes have been described so graphically 
by the eloquent pen of Humboldt, in his " Tableaux 
de la Nature," that I will not attempt it further, but 
refer my reader to the following : 

"When under the vertical rays of the never- 
clouded sun, the carbonized tufty covering falls into 
dust, the indurated soil cracks asunder as if from the 
shock of an earthquake. If at such times two oppos- 
ing currents of air, whose conflicts produce a rotary 
motion, come in contact with the soil, the plain as- 
sumes a strange and singular aspect. Like conical- 
shaped clouds, the points of which descend to the 



ACROSS THE PAMPAS. 



93 



earth, the sand rises through the rarified air in the 
electrically charged centre of the whirling current, 
resembling the loud waterspout dreaded by the ex- 
perienced mariner. The lowering sky sheds a dim, 
almost straw-colored light on the desolate plain ; the 
horizon draws suddenly near ; the steppe seems to con- 
tract, and with it the heart of the wanderer. The hot, 
dusty particles which fill the air, increase its suffocating 
heat, and the east wind blowing over the long-heated 
soil brings with it no refreshment, but rather a still 
more burning glow. The pools, which the yellow, 
fading branches of the fan palm had protected from 
evaporation, now gradually disappear. As in the icy 
north the animals become torpid with cold, so here, 
under the influence of the parching drought, the croco- 
dile and the boa become motionless and fall asleep, 
deeply buried in the dry mud. Everywhere the death- 
threatening drought prevails, and yet, by the play of 
the refracted rays of light producing the phenomenon 
of the mirage, the thirsty traveller is everywhere pur- 
sued by the illusive image of a cool, rippling, watery 
mirror. The distant palm bush, apparently raised by 
the influence of the contact of unequally heated, and 
therefore unequally dense strata of air, hovers above 
the ground, from which it is separated by a narrow 
intervening margin." 

Indeed, so perfect was this illusion of the mirage, 
that on one occasion Mr. Thomas and myself were en- 
tirely deceived by the appearance of a beautiful lake 
which we prepared to sketch. But what was our sur- 
prise when, on climbing a tree to obtain a better view, 
the phantom disappeared as if by magic ! This occurs 



94 



WILD SCENES IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



whenever the spectator places himself above the line 
of the natural horizon. 

At length we reached a solitary pool of muddy- 
water in the midst of the savanna, which was hailed 
with joy by man and beast ; but, on nearer inspec- 
tion, the thirsty travellers were seized with disgust 
and disappointment on seeing several dead and dying 
animals embedded in the mud. These quagmires 
form extensive barriers in some places, especially in 
dried-up "creeks where hundreds of animals perish 
every year, being unable to extricate themselves from 
the adhesive quality of the clay. At our approach 
two hideous alligators rushed into the pond, and thus 
the scanty portion that had not been disturbed by 
the tramping of animals was in a moment thickened 
like the rest. However, there being no other alter- 
native, we were compelled to follow the example of 
our sturdy Llaneros, who proceeded without much 
consideration to dip their calabashes into that species 
of mud soup ; then covering the mouths of the totu- 
mas with our handkerchiefs, we sucked through them 
this miserable substitute for water. 

About noon we descried a speck in the horizon, 
looking like a sail at sea. Increasing in size as we 
neared it, it soon appeared to be a solitary mound or 
promontory; by degrees it assumed more distinct- 
ness, finally presenting to our view all the luxuri- 
ance of tropical vegetation. This was the Mata de 
San Pedro, a sort of island grove of splendid forest 
trees, which, like a veritable oasis, stood in the midst 
of those desert plains, a relief to the parched and 
wayworn traveller. Mata is the name by which the 



ACROSS THE PAMPAS. 



95 



natives designate these lovely gems of the Pampas, 
no less cherished than are those of the famed African 
Desert by the wearied caravan ; like them, they re- 
ceive appropriate names from some peculiarity of 
feature or other trivial cause, as Mata Gorda, Mata 
Eedonda, &c. But whatever be the name, all hail 
with joy these verdant bowers, a cool retreat to every 
species of animal in summer, and a safe refuge during 
the season of floods, for, being somewhat higher than 
the surrounding country, they are rarely overflowed 
by the periodical inundations. 

It was entirely dark on our arrival at the Mata, 
and we were then so weary that there was little in- 
clination evinced to make any preparations for sup- 
per, and we were also greatly in need of water. Al- 
though the earth was parched by the long drought, 
Providence has placed a few feet below the surface 
an unlimited supply of the purest water. This can 
be obtained at any time by merely digging for it 
with a wooden pole sharpened at one end. In the 
present instance we were spared this trouble, as some 
of our people, well acquainted with the place, knew 
where one of these primitive wells could be found. 
Our first business, therefore, was to seek for the jagiiey 
in spite of the deadly rattlesnakes said to abound 
there. From this we obtained sufficient water for 
ourselves and riding horses, the other animals being 
left to shift for themselves, always under the close 
vigilance, however, of the watchmen appointed for 
the night. These men had a hard task : apart from 
the fatigue of keeping awake and on horseback all 



96 



WILD SCENES IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



night, they were in constant fear of a sudden stam- 
pede among the horses, which not unfrequently oc- 
curs. To provide against a contretemps of the sort, 
those in immediate use were secured nightly by straps 
attached to the feet, which prevented their straying 
far from the camp. 

We rose very early, judging from the height of 
the Lucero or morning star — which in those solitudes 
takes the place of town clock — whose brilliancy almost 
equals that of the full moon. I nowhere recollect 
having seen this gorgeous luminary of morning shed 
such radiant streams of light as in the ever-cloudless 
sky of the Llanos during the summer months. In 
equal proportion all the other heavenly bodies seem 
there to vie with each other in heightening the splen- 
dor of that glorious firmament, cheering the heart of 
the wanderer who finds himself, like the mariner on 
the high seas, encompassed only by the vault of 
heaven, whose glowing lamps were then our unerring 
guide towards the south, enabling us to dispense with 
compass or any landmarks by which to direct our 
course. Towards evening, we deviated a little from 
it, hoping to reach a cattle-farm, intending to pass 
the night there; but our horses being almost ex- 
hausted from the roughness of the ground, compelled 
us to stop by the banks of a treeless creek abounding 
in alligators; this we knew by the strong odor of 
musk which pervaded the air. In spite of their prox- 
imity, which made me start more than once in my 
dreams, we slept soundly in our ponchos on the hard 
ground, for want of trees from which to sling our 
hammocks. This lack of firewood compelled us also 



ACROSS THE PAMPAS. 



97 



to go supperless that night and without breakfast 
next morning. After a long search we finally suc- 
ceeded in collecting a handful of drift wood along the 
banks of the creek, enabling Monico to make us a 
stimulating cup of coffee in which to u drown our 
sorrows." 

Midday brought us to the cattle-farm we were in 
quest of, when immediate preparations were made for 
an ample meal, which should compensate us for pre- 
vious privations. The overseer informed us that not 
far from the house was a herd of cattle bearing our 
brand. Thither we despatched two men in search of 
the fattest among them. In a short time they re- 
turned with a fine cow, which was speedily slaugh- 
tered and spitted before a blazing fire kindled under 
three stupendous mimosa trees bearing flat, kidney- 
shaped legumes or pods six inches in circumference. 
Our hunger appeased, we spread our ponchos under 
the shade of these giants of the vegetable world, and 
slept until noon, when we were again in our saddles 
prosecuting the journey through a less monotonous 
landscape. The plain, although still preserving the 
same rough character, was diversified with groves of 
other leguminous trees, (Cafiafistulos,) the pods of 
which were nearly three feet in length, and contain a 
black pulp valuable as a cathartic. 

Towards evening we were gratified by seeing, for 
the first time, that splendid spectacle, a prairie on 
fire. The grass, parched with the burning sun, is 
purposely fired by the natives to promote the growth 
of the new crop, which last, owing to the heavy dews, 
starts long before the rainy season sets in. The con-. 
5 



98 



WILD SCENES IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



flagration extended for more than three miles, the 
strong evening breeze driving it onward in curling 
fiery billows. Yolumes of smoke loaded with burn- 
ing particles of grass, ascended in clouds, increasing 
the grandeur and beauty of the scene by their various 
tints of red, pink, and purple, diffused throughout the 
atmosphere. Aided by this illumination, we were 
enabled to discover a solitary ranch, where we tarried 
the remainder of the night, although there was noth- 
ing to be had there in the shape of edibles. Fortun- 
ately one of our party had shot a number of wild 
ducks in a lagoon, and a provident individual had 
saved some choice morsels of the cow. There was 
some difficulty in procuring wood enough for a fire, 
but a couple of rafters from the old ranch afforded 
the needful fuel, and thus we were happily prevented 
passing a supperless, as well as comfortless night. 

Many hours before daybreak we were again up, 
saddling and loading our animals, which, owing to 
the darkness, was always the most irksome part of 
the journey. We were, however, most happy to bid 
adieu to the solitary ranch with its myriads of bats, 
the only tenants we encountered there. 



CHAPTER VIIL 



LA POKTUGUESA. 

Again we were under way, and again our eyes en- 
countered only the flat monotonous plain on all sides 
sweeping to the horizon, varied only in being more 
barren, rougher, and consequently more exhausting to 
our horses than any of the preceding. Many of the 
riders dismounted, that the poor brutes might be re- 
lieved as much as possible, and accomplished the re- 
mainder of the journey on foot. This occasioned a 
burning thirst, which the scant supply of water in our 
gourds was not sufficient to allay ; and it was not until 
noon had long passed, that our guides, pointing to a 
blue ridge of forest in the distance, informed us it 
marked the course of the river Portuguesa, our intend- 
ed halting place, and on the borders of which we pur- 
posed spending several days. The cavalcade, inspir- 
ited by this view, pressed forward as rapidly as their 
exhausted condition would permit, and fortunately 
reached the pass before nightfall. 

This beautiful river has its rise in the mountains 



100 



WILD SCENES IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



of Trujillo, and connects the fertile province of Bari- 
nas with the sea, through the Apure and Orinoco, 
being in fact one of the principal tributaries of the 
former. Its commercial advantages, as may be 
imagined, are of great importance to the interior of 
a country so distant from the ocean, and whose prin- 
cipal products consist in the bulky yield of the plan- 
tations. It is navigable during a great portion of the 
year, especially for steam vessels, and I am happy 
to learn that the great civilizer of the world — steam 
— has at length been introduced there through the 
enterprising energy of some Yankee speculators. 

The banks of the river, being both high and pre- 
cipitous, a passage to it can only be accomplished at 
certain points, where the hand of man and the tramp 
of animals have cut deep trenches, forming paths to 
the water's edge. On this occasion, we sought the 
pass of San J aime, where a ferryman is stationed with 
a canoe to take across any who desire it. Horses, 
however, being excellent swimmers, are left to ferry 
themselves over. Our first care on arriving at the 
pass was to unload our beasts of burden, and unsaddle 
our steeds for the purpose of allowing them to cool 
before entering the water, a precaution which, if neg- 
lected, not unfrequently proves fatal to both man and 
beast. This duty fulfilled, we proceeded to hail the 
Oanoero, whose ranch was perched upon the south 
bank of the river. The knowledge that he would re- 
ceive a " real " for every man and beast that crossed, 
besides various perquisites from passengers whom he 
supplied with meals during their sojourn at his ranch, 
so expedited his motions, that in a few moments his frail 



LA PORTUGUESA. 



101 



barge received its first load, each person taking his 
own chattels with him. A boy of fifteen, naked and 
sunburnt, paddled the canoe, while the ferryman 
steered it by means of his canalete. The utmost care 
was necessary to prevent the overturn of the crazy 
skiff, which reeled at every stroke of the paddle, 
threatening to pitch all its contents overboard. As 
soon as we landed on the opposite shore, the boat re- 
turned for a second load, and the trips were repeated 
until the whole party had crossed. There now only 
remained the horses, who being extremely shy of deep 
water, required to be forced to swim across, an op- 
eration demanding considerable skill on the part of 
the drivers. The only way was to give them an ex- 
ample ; accordingly two expert swimmers, divesting 
themselves of clothes, jumped upon the bare back 
of their horses and plunged incontinently into the 
stream. Then, sliding off to one side, they allowed 
the horses to swim without encumbrance, supporting 
themselves with one hand upon the animal's haunches, 
while with the other they guided them by means of 
a halter. Meanwhile, those that remained on shore 
set up a tremendous shouting and yelling, at the same 
time shaking their ponchos violently with the intent 
to frighten all the rest of the troop down the steep 
embankment, where, encouraged at the sight of the 
two ahead, they all entered the stream and followed 
their leaders without further difficulty. Several large 
crocodiles, who had watched all these proceedings 
from the middle of the river, alarmed by the confu- 
sion, disappeared from view, and then the heads only 
of the leaders and their steeds rose, puffing and snort- 



102 



WILD SCENES IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



ing, above water. In spite, however, of all the up- 
roar, one of these men was instantly attacked by ca- 
ribes, and very narrowly escaped serious injury from 
them. I was standing at the time on the opposite 
side of the river, watching this novel mode of ferrying, 
and observed that the man, abandoning his horse, 
endeavored to reach the bank by long strides, occa- 
sionally lashing himself with a coiled lazo he carried 
in his hand. It immediately occurred to me that he 
might have been attacked by crocodiles, a belief 
which was strengthened on seeing the poor fellow's 
sides streaming blood as he stepped upon the beach. 
My first apprehension was quickly dispelled by his 
pointing to a circular wound on his shoulder, about 
the size of a quarter dollar, and to others as severe on 
various parts of his body, inflicted by caribes. Had 
the man been a less expert swimmer, or the water less 
agitated, the accident would undoubtedly have proved 
more serious ; as it was, we were considerably alarmed 
for the fate of the other man, who, however, happily 
escaped unhurt. 

The surprising boldness of these diminutive fish, 
naturally increased my anxiety to examine more mi- 
nutely into their peculiarities, than I had yet the op- 
portunity of doing. I therefore determined to procure 
fresh specimens, if possible. On a former occasion I 
had lost most of my trout hooks, but I still preserved 
some larger ones, mounted with copper wire, to be 
used in the rivers of the Apure ; these I supposed 
proof against the teeth of any fish, and no sooner 
were we established in the ranch of the ferryman, 
than, taking my lines I hastened to the river accom- 



LA PORTUGUESA. 



103 



panied by my English co-laborer, the artist. The 
hooks were baited with pieces of fresh beef, and 
dropped with great precaution near the shore. 
Scarcely did the bait touch the w T ater, when it was 
seized by caribes. Without allowing them time, as it 
seemed, to get the whole of it between their jaws, 
we pulled in the lines, but, alas ! minus hooks, as 
well as bait. On examination, we discovered that 
one of the hooks had been cut through, while the 
other was severed from the wire. Still, we persevered, 
but invariably with the same unfortunate result. 

Greatly annoyed, I turned to question a Llanero, 
who stood near laughing at what he considered my 
simplicity. Another tapped me gently on the shoul- 
der, and addressed me with " JVino, you might as 
well attempt to catch a rattlesnake by the tail " (a 
favorite expression among them) " as to think of 
hooking one of those chaps." What is to be done, 
then ? for I must have at least a couple of these 
scoundrels, said I. " Who ever saw a genteel young 
gentleman like yourself, with a taste for such disgust- 
ing creatures ? " he replied, imagining that I wanted 
them for eating. On my explanation that my object 
was simply to sketch and preserve them in spires, 
they advised me to procure a piece of tough skin from 
the head of an ox which was then being slaughtered, 
and to suspend it from a strip of the same material. 
I immediately followed their instructions, and shortly 
repaired again to the river. Seating myself on the 
stern of the canoe, which was moored across the 
stream, I dropped my novel bait into the water, and 
watched for the result with the utmost interest. In 



104 WILD SCENES IN SOUTH AMERICA. 

a moment a shoal of caribes collected around the bait 
and commenced attacking it voraciously. Finding 
the thick cartilage too tough even for their sharp 
teeth, and unwilling to give it up, they continued 
gnawing at it like so many little hyenas. When I 
imagined them to be fairly " stuck " through the 
thick skin, I lifted the whole concern over the side 
of the canoe, and had the satisfaction of seeing about 
a dozen of the fish dancing at the bottom of my barge. 
Finding this novel style of fishing rather easy and 
entertaining, I continued it until I was suddenly ap- 
prised into whose company I had thrust myself by 
feeling the heel of my left foot seized by one of the 
captives with such violence as caused me to drop my 
bait, with the vicious creatures that were hanging 
from it, into the river. My only thought now was 
how to contrive my escape, having the whole length 
of the canoe to traverse, and its floor paved with 
these ravenous little wretches. My first impulse was 
to spring overboard ; but a moment's reflection con- 
vinced me that it would be a jump from the " frying 
pan into the fire." Placed thus, as it were, between 
Scylla and Charybdis, I again appealed to the inge- 
nuity of my former advisers for deliverance. This 
they readily accomplished by a very simple contriv- 
ance, consisting of a gunny bag, which they spread 
over the gaping draught of fish. In a moment their 
sharp teeth were again at work, this time among the 
tough fibres of the bag, to which they clung with the 
tenacity of bull-dogs, thus enabling us to fish them 
out again without difficulty. 

My biting experience of these little pests left me 



LA PORTUGUESA. 



105 



in no mood to spare them, and I never missed an op- 
portunity of provoking a bloody conflict among them. 
With this view I made it my daily business to scatter 
pieces of flesh in the river, which never failed in at- 
tracting great numbers to the spot. These devoured 
the meat in a few moments, after which, being them- 
selves of a red hue, and mistaking each other for the 
meat, they continued the feast by devouring one 
another, until few of them remained alive. Thus I 
accomplished my revenge upon these cannibals of the 
finny tribe. The pike and the caribe are, I believe, 
the only fish which devour those of their own species 
when disabled. " As no one dares to bathe where it 
is found," remarks Humboldt in his travels, " it may 
be considered as one of the greatest scourges of those 
climates, in which the sting of the mosquitoes and the 
general irritation of the skin, render the use of baths 
so necessary." 

Fortunately for mankind, these fish are subject to 
a yearly mortality during the heats of summer, when 
the water is deprived of a portion of the air it holds 
in solution. Their carcasses may then be seen float- 
ing on the water by thousands, while the beach is 
strewn with their bones, especially their bristling 
jaws, which render walking barefoot on the borders 
of lagoons extremely dangerous. 

To judge from the incessant turmoil in the river 
at all hours of the night, besides evident proofs of 
their depredations during the day, I concluded that 
the havoc they commit on the other denizens of the 
water must be very great. Even the armor-clad 
crocodiles are not exempt from their attacks, when 



106 WILD SCENES IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



wounded in their own quarrels, as they sometimes 
are, during the season of their loves, for even croco- 
diles are subject to jealousy, that other "green-eyed 
monster." * 

During the annual inundation of the savannas, 
when quadrupeds perish by thousands in the vernal 
deluge, the caribes have ample field for their voracity ; 
but living animals are not exempted, for they prey 
with equal fierceness upon the young calves when 
wading through the marshes, and upon the mothers, 
whose udders they so mutilate, that the young ones 
frequently perish from lack of nourishment. The 
poor cattle lead about this season a truly miserable 
life. Those that escape the teeth of the caribe, the 
coil of the anaconda, that great water serpent, or the 
jaws of the equally dreaded crocodile, are in contin- 
ual danger of falling a prey to the lion or the jaguar, 
while congregated upon the hancos and other places 
left dry amidst the rising waters. None, however, 
escape the tormenting sting of myriad insects which, 
until the waters subside, fill the air they breathe. 
Even at night, when all created beings should rest in 
peace, enormous vampires, issuing from the gloomy 
recesses of the forest, perch upon the backs of the 
sufferers and suck their life blood, all the while lull- 
ing them with the flapping of their spurious wings. 
In fact, it seems as if in these regions all the elements 
conspired against these useful creatures ; for, after 
these varied evils have abated with the return of the 
dry season, the hand of man is also continually against 
them in harassing hunts, or in firing the ripe pastures 

* The eyes of crocodiles are tinted with green. 



LA PORTUGUESA. 



107 



which sweep their realms in devastating fury, driving 
them in consternation from the fields of their enjoy- 
ment. 

. The crocodiles of this river are noted for being the 
most savage and daring in the Llanos. Although 
usually styled yellow caymans, to distinguish them 
from the common alligator, which is of a darker hue, 
they are in fact real crocodiles, with an acute snout, 
like those inhabiting the Nile and other celebrated 
rivers of Africa. 

While walking along the banks of the Portuguesa, 
one may see these huge lizards collected in groups of 
half a dozen or more, basking in the sunshine near 
the water, with their jaws wide open until their 
ghastly palates are filled with flies or other creatures 
alighting within them. We tried in vain shooting 
them with guns ; the reptiles were so wary, that the 
moment we took aim they rushed into the water. 
Being at a loss how to procure a subject for my pen- 
cil, I sought the advice of an old man, an angler by 
profession, who lived in one of the huts near the river. 
He agreed to let me have his canoe with his son to 
paddle it, and the requisite number of harpoons, pro- 
viding I could obtain the assistance of an Indian boy 
from the neighborhood, who was a capital marksman 
with the bow and arrow. " What ! " I exclaimed in 
astonishment, " do we expect to kill one of these 
monsters with so slight a thing as an arrow ? " 
" No, Senorito," he calmly answered ; " but you 
must first know where to find him under water 
before you can strike him with the harpoon ; the 



108 



WILD SCENES IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



arrow of which I speak is the kind we use in catching 
turtles." These arrows are constructed so as to allow 
the head, affixed to the shaft somewhat in the manner 
of a lance, to come off the moment it strikes an object 
in the water. A slender cord, several feet in length, 
connects it w T ith the shaft, which last is made of a 
light, buoyant reed ; around this the cord is wound 
closely until it reaches the point where the head is, 
then fastened securely. The shaft being extremely 
light, floats on the surface of the water the moment 
it is set free from the head by the struggles of the an- 
imal, thus acting as a guide for its recovery. 

The old angler then proceeded to explain that the 
operation must be conducted first by sending one of 
these arrows into the body of the crocodile to mark 
his position under water ; and then, if practicable, we 
might plunge a harpoon into the only vulnerable spot 
we could hope to reach, viz., the nape of the neck, 
after which the animal could be easily dragged on 
shore by means of strong ropes attached to the har- 
poon. 

Accordingly. I went in search of the Indian boy, 
whom I found under a tree, seated like a toad on his 
haunches, skinning a porcupine he had just killed. 
At my approach he raised his head and fixed on me 
his unmeaning eyes. When spoken to, he only re- 
plied to all my questions with the monosyllables, si, 
710. After a little coaxing, and the promise of some 
fish hooks, he followed me to the canoe without ut- 
tering a word more. We were not long in getting a 
chance to test the skill of my new acquaintance. As 
we approached the river banks, a large crocodile hove 



LA PORTUGUESA. 



109 



in sight, floating down the stream like a log of wood. 
Our position was most favorable to send an arrow 
rattling through his scales, and my young Nimrod 
lost no time in improving the opportunity. Stepping 
a few paces in advance, and bending gracefully over 
the precipice, he let fly at the reptile's head his slen- 
der, yellow reed, por elevacion, viz., shooting the 
arrow up into the air at an angle of forty-five, which 
causes it to descend with great force upon the object, 
after describing an arc of a circle in the manner of a 
bomb-shell. Although the distance was fully three 
hundred paces, the arrow struck the mark with the 
precision of a rifle ball. A violent plunge of the 
huge reptile was my first intimation that the trial had 
been successful, and a moment after I perceived the 
golden reed, now attached to him, skimming swiftly 
over the surface of the water. We hastened for the 
canoe, and immediately gave chase up the stream, as 
the crocodile had taken that direction. "We were 
rapidly gaining upon him, when, alarmed at the sound 
of the paddles, he sunk in very deep water, as was in- 
dicated by the reecl. This circumstance rendered it 
impossible to employ our harpoon. We tried in vain 
to start him ; he stuck to the muddy bottom whence 
neither pulls nor curses could move him. We hoped 
that in time he would come to the surface to breathe, 
and then we might strike him with a harpoon ; but 
in this we were equally disappointed. After waiting 
for him two hours, we gave him up, along with the 
arrow head sticking in his own. 

I made various other attempts to secure a speci- 
men, but with no better result, as the river was yet 
too high to sound for them. 



ilO WILD SCENES IN SOUTH AMERICA. 

While in this place, I was told several incidents 
in relation to the cunning and instinct of these sau- 
rians, one of which appeared to me most remarkable 
in an animal of the reptile tribe. The ferryman here 
possessed at one time a great many goats. One day 
he perceived that several of them had disappeared, 
and not being able to account for it in any other way, 
he at once laid the blame on the hated crocodiles, 
although these creatures seldom carry their attacks 
beyond their own element. His suspicions, he dis- 
covered in the end, were well founded, having wit- 
nessed the destruction of one of his goats in a very 
singular manner. It appeared that a crocodile had in 
some mysterious way discovered that goats delight in 
jumping from place to place, but more especially 
from rocks or mounds. Rocks, however, being rather 
scarce in the country, their treacherous enemy under- 
took to gratify their taste for this innocent pastime, 
and at the same time cater to his own. Approaching 
the water's edge to within a few feet from the bank, 
he swelled out his back in such a manner as gave it 
the appearance of a small island or promontory. The 
stupid goats perceiving this, varied their gambols by 
jumping from their secure places on shore upon the 
seeming island, which they, however, never reached, 
for the crocodile, tossing up his head at the right in- 
stant, received them into his open jaws, and swallowed 
them without difficulty. 

Crocodiles have a special penchant for dogs also, 
and never miss an opportunity of gratifying their 
taste for the canine. In this, however, they are often 
balked by the superior cunning of their intended tit- 



LA PORTUGUESA 



111 



bits. One day I observed a couple of tiger-hounds 
quietly enjoying a cool bath in the river. Struck 
with their apparent nonchalance when in such a dan- 
gerous proximity, I found on inquiry that these an- 
imals never approach the water, either to drink or to 
bathe, without previously attracting the crocodiles by 
means of repeated howlings to some distant spot. 
This instinct of the dog with regard to crocodiles 
seems to be rather of antique date, for I find it re- 
corded in the writings of both ancient and modern 
travellers in different parts of the world. 

No person can venture near the water without 
danger from their attacks, being so treacherous that 
they approach their intended victim near enough to 
strike him with their powerful tails before he is even 
aware of their proximity. The bubbling sound of a 
gourd being filled in the water by some imprudent 
person, specially attracts them. To obviate this 
danger, a calabash bowl with a long wooden handle is 
usually employed for the purpose ; yet, even this is 
not unfrequently snatched from the hands of the 
water-carrier. If by accident a human being falls a 
prey to this tyrant of the river, the reptile is then 
called cehado, which appellation implies every thing 
that is bold, ferocious, and treacherous in an animal 
of the species, as from that time they not only way- 
lay persons, but follow them in the canoes, in hopes 
of again securing this dainty morsel. There are, 
however, men bold enough to meet the enemy face 
to face in his own element. The man who makes up 
his mind to this encounter is well aware that this 
must be a conflict to the death for one of the antago- 



112 



WILD SCENES IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



nists. The ferryman related to us a feat of gallan try 
worthy of a better cause, performed here by a Llanero 
with one of these monsters. The man was on his way 
to San Jaime on a pressing errand. Being in haste 
to get there the same day, he would not wait for the 
canoe to be brought to him, but prepared to swim 
across, assisted by his horse. He had already secured 
his saddle and clothes upon his head, as is usual on 
similar occasions, when the ferryman cried out to him 
to beware of a caiman cebado, then lurking near the 
pass, urging upon him, at the same time, to wait for 
the canoe. Scorning this advice, the Llanero replied 
with characteristic pride, " Let him come ; I was 
never yet afraid of man or beast." Then laying aside 
a part of his ponderous equipment, he placed his two- 
edged dagger between his teeth, and plunged fear- 
lessly into the river. He had not proceeded far, 
when the monster rose and made quickly towards 
him. The ferryman crossed himself devoutly, and 
muttered the holy invocation of Jesus, Maria y 
Jose ! fearing for the life, and, above all, for the toll 
of the imprudent traveller. In the mean time, the 
swimmer continued gliding through the water tow- 
ards the approaching crocodile. Aware of the impos- 
sibility of striking his adversary a mortal blow unless 
he could reach the armpit, he awaited the moment 
when the reptile should attack him, to throw his sad- 
dle at him. This he accomplished so successfully, 
that the crocodile, doubtless imagining it to be some 
sort of good eating, jumped partly out of the water 
to catch it. Instantly the Llanero plunged his dagger 
up to the very hilt into the fatal spot. A hoarse 



LA PORTUGUESA. 



113 



grunt and a tremendous splash showed that the blow 
was mortal, for the ferocious monster sunk beneath 
the waves to rise no more. 

Proud of this achievement, and scorning the tardy 
assistance of the ferryman, who offered to pick him up 
in his canoe, he waved his bloody dagger in the air, 
exclaiming, as he did so : " Is there no other about 
here ? " and then turning, he swam leisurely back to 
take his horse across. 

The canoero who related this adventure then 
added : " So delighted was I on that occasion, that 
I killed my fattest hen to treat the man to a good 
sancocho, for the caiman had devoured all my 
goats." 

But this is only one of the many exploits con- 
stantly being enacted in these regions, by the bold 
race of men inhabiting them. 



114 



WILD SCENES IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



There is still living at San Fernando, a town at 
the confluence of the Apure and Portuguesa rivers, 
another individual equally bold in attacking croco- 
diles, in which warfare he uses only a wooden mace 
or club. He is possibly one of the greatest swimmers 
in that or any other country, having repeatedly ac- 
complished the run between San Fernando and El 
Diamante — a plantation which he owns, three miles 
below the town — without once stopping on the way. 
Armed with his heavy club in one hand, and a bottle 
of rum in the other, to keep himself in good spirits, 
this modem Hercules will, for the fun of it, during 
a spree, provoke a fight with a caiman cebado / 
and so effectual has been his warfare, that he has 
actually succeeded in driving them away from the 
pass, formerly so infested by them, that scarcely 
a year elapsed in which numbers of persons were 
not carried off by them, helpless washerwomen espe- 
cially. 

I observed, also, at La Portuguesa, a great num- 
ber of fresh-water porpoises or toninas, as they are 
called there, swimming with rapidity against the cur- 
rent, and bending their backs gracefully like their 
congeners of the sea. Crocodiles appeared to avoid 
them, and would invariably dive out of the way at 
their approach. It is probable that from this circum- 
stance arose the current belief that toninas will be- 
friend persons when they chance to fall into the water, 
against the attacks of crocodiles. It is, moreover, as- 
serted that these cetacea will rescue a man from 
drowning, pushing him on to the shore with their 



LA PORTUGUESA. 



115 



snouts. In acknowledgment of this animal philan- 
thropy, the hand of man is there never raised against 
these inoffensive creatures ; and so conscious are they 
of this, that they seem rather to delight in his neigh- 
borhood, sporting around the canoes which ascend 
the river, and spouting jets of water and compressed 
air like miniature whales. 



CHAPTER IX. 



THE APUEE EIVEK. 

We tarried several days at La Portuguesa to afford 
our horses time to recover from the fatigues of the 
previous rough journeys. We also expected to incor- 
porate there another drove, which having been kept 
throughout the summer grazing in the ever-verdant 
meadows of this river, were now in very fine condi- 
tion. In the mean time, we were agreeably occupied 
in hunting, fishing and dancing ; the people of the 
neighborhood being sufficient for our social enter- 
tainments. 

Every morning we rode out to the savannas to 
hunt an ox for our meals. The remainder of the day 
was occupied in scouring the adjacent woods and 
plains after our steeds, who seemed as if conscious of 
the life that awaited them beyond La Portuguesa ; 
for it required all the ingenuity and sagacity of the 
Llaneros to discover their hiding-places, and bring 
them again to the corrals. The evenings were de- 
voted to dancing and singing by the light of half a 



THE APURE RIVER. Ill 

dozen candiles, or lamps made of burned clay, and 
filled with the grease of crocodiles. The habitations 
being considerably scattered along the banks of the 
river, we employed a number of runners for the pur- 
pose of bringing the company to the fandango, as 
these nocturnal revelries are called, who came in 
canoes or w T ading through the mud as occasion re- 
quired. 

And now, refined and courteous reader, picture to 
yourself a motley assemblage, brought together with- 
out any regard to color, age, or position, under an 
open shed or barracoon dimly lighted, and you will 
form an idea of our soirees dansantes, w r hich for merri- 
ment and courtesy might with good reason have been 
the envy of the most polished reunions. 

The orchestra was composed of a guitar scarcely 
larger than the hand that twanged it, a banjo of huge 
proportions, and a couple of noisy maracas, rattle- 
boxes made from the shell of the calabash fruit, and 
filled with the seed of a Marantha or Indian shot. 
No music is considered complete without this accom- 
paniment, w 7 hich, as w T ell as I could judge, filled the 
place of castanets, or the less romantic " bones " of 
negro minstrelsy. A wooden handle is attached to 
each, to enable the performer to shake them to and 
fro, which he does with appropriate gestures and con- 
tortions expressive of his different emotions. A cor- 
responding choir of singers, picked from our own 
suite, was attached to the players. All Llaneros are 
passionately fond of music, and display considerable 
talent, composing many beautiful songs of a national 
character, called tonos or trovas llaneros. Few in 



118 



WILD SCENES IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



the country are not gifted with the power of versifica- 
tion, and there are among them many famous impro- 
visatori. Whenever two of these are brought to- 
gether, a competition for the laurel crown is the in- 
variable consequence. This amicable strife sometimes 
occupies several successive hours, ending only when 
one of the bards is fairly silenced by the other ; the 
victor is then declared the lion of the fete and receives 
accordingly not only the congratulations of his ad- 
mirers, but also secures the smiles of the most spark- 
ling eyes in the company. It is really surprising to 
see men, who cannot distinguish one letter of the al- 
phabet from another, compose and extemporize poetry 
which, although rude in character, is nevertheless full 
of interest and significance. Most of their songs and 
ballads refer to deeds of valor performed by their own 
heroes ; while others recount their love adventures, 
and daily struggles with the wild and unsubdued 
nature which surrounds them. Their instruments, 
when handled with skill, produce very harmonious 
sounds. The handola or banjo bears no resemblance 
to the one in common use among the negroes of the 
States. It is, in fact, a guitar of large proportions, 
shaped somewhat like the lute of old. The guitar of 
the Llanos is the reverse of its associate the banjo, 
being considerably smaller and with only five strings, 
on which account it is called Cineo. Still, it is a 
very noisy little instrument, all its cords being made 
to resound at once by running the fingers of the right 
hand up and down over them, while those of the left 
stop them at the right moment. 

The dancers do not grapple with each other, as is 



THE APURE RIVER. 



119 



the practice among some of the more enlightened, 
but dance alone, joining hands occasionally for a few 
moments, and then separating and whirling round by 
themselves. First, a woman paces round the room 
in double-quick step, looking for a partner ; when a 
suitable one is found, a graceful waving of the hand- 
kerchief summons him before her ; then both go 
through their evolutions until the woman chooses to 
withdraw. The man then with a polite bow invites 
a second partner, and so on to the end of the first 
dance. This is styled the Galeron, in which only the 
most skilful dancers take part, as it requires great 
flexibility of joint and limb to execute all the intricate 
and graceful posturings and swayings of the body, 
constituting the principal charm of the performance. 
They have a variety of other dances, such as La 
Mavicela, El JRaspon, La Zapa, &c, all of which, 
however, are of the same character, the chief differ- 
ence being in the double entendre of the stanzas sung 
as accompaniment to the music. La Marieela, espe- 
cially, is a very exciting dance, from the satirical bon 
mots hurled by the bard of the evening at each couple 
as they pass. The facility with which these verses are 
improvised is most amusing, and would even astonish 
the most accomplished Neapolitan improvisator '<?. 
Some of them are capital hits upon the personal ap- 
pearance, &c, of the dancers, and none fail to find 
some point for ridicule. 

Three or four days we sojourned among these jolly 
people, and then again set out for the scene of our 
future adventures, stopping for the night at San 



120 



WILD SCENES IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



Jaime, once a thriving town, but now nearly deserted 
in consequence of the desolating civil wars which 
have afflicted the country for several years. On our 
way thither, we traversed a succession of beautiful 
prairies, bound by rings of magnificent forest trees, 
and watered by numerous creeks and lagoons filled 
with water fowl. Unlike the dreary wastes we had 
already crossed, which, " like the ocean, fill the imagi- 
ation with the idea of infinity," the plains stretching 
between the Portuguesa and Apure rivers are char- 
acterized by the rankness and luxuriance of the vege- 
tation. Owing to the periodical inundation, the land- 
scape wears here the green mantle of spring even 
during the hottest months. 

This yearly inundation is one of the most curious 
phenomena of this region. At the approach of the 
rainy season, those two magnificent offsprings of the 
Sierra Nevada, the Apure and Portuguesa, tired as it 
were of their long repose, suddenly rise in their 
heated, muddy beds, and leap over their borders, at 
first in playful gambols ; then in fearful and rapid 
course, converting these widely extended plains into 
a vast lagoon. To the few spots which escape the 
general submersion, the inhabitants retire with their 
chattels and flocks in canoes held in readiness for the 
purpose. 

Thus the land is kept in a state of constant irriga- 
tion and fertility unsurpassed in any country, although 
at the expense of the comfort of the inhabitants, who 
are compelled to abandon their homes to the croco- 
diles and anacondas of the stream. When the waters 
subside, the intruders are expelled by the rightful 



THE APURE RIVER. 



121 



owners of the dwellings ; the few articles of furniture 
they possess replaced in the damp rooms, and they 
again devote themselves to domestic pursuits until the 
next inundation forces them anew to seek a home 
elsewhere. I was shown at the pass the marks left 
by the water on the walls of the cottages, indicating 
in some instances a rise of twelve feet. 

I was struck with the size and luxuriance of the 
trees along the course of these rivers. My attention 
was particularly attracted by the sa?nan, a species of 
Mimosa, with delicate, feathery flowers of a pinkish 
hue, and gigantic, umbrella-shaped boughs. There 
is in the valleys of Aragua one of these which, from 
time immemorial, has elicited the admiration of 
travellers, and received the protection of the law 
since the discovery and settlement of the country, 
for its magnificent proportions and the great age 
which it is supposed to have attained. 

Extensive tracts of land are entirely taken up by 
individuals of this class. It would be impossible to 
conceive any thing more grand in nature than a forest 
of these trees. It might be said of them that each is 
a forest in itself ; and were all the beautiful parasites 
that cling to their trunks and branches for support 
spread upon the ground, they would cover several 
acres. All along the course of the great rivers Apure, 
Guarico, and Portuguesa, the saman is found in such 
countless numbers that the combined fleets of the 
civilized world might be reconstructed from this in- 
exhaustible supply. The axe of the northerner could 
readily convert those stupendous forests into vehicles 
6 



122 



WILD SCENES IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



of commerce and civilization, were it not for the wast- 
ing fevers, endemic of that region. Now they only- 
serve as protective hannts for desperate bands of rob- 
bers and cut-throats, let loose by unprincipled poli- 
ticians. 




Equally rank and luxuriant are the grasses in 
these alluvial lands. We were compelled to drive 
before us all the relay horses and other beasts of bur- 
den to open a passage and save our bare feet from 
being dreadfully lacerated by the gamelote, a tall, 
cutting, and worthless grass, with blades almost as 
sharp as a " Toledo." It grows so closely and rapidly 
as to obliterate in a few days the paths made by 
travellers, killing every other species in its way. Un- 
fortunately, it is perfectly useless as fodder, except 
for Chig Hires or water-hogs, which feed on it when 
nothing better offers, and to the flesh of which it im- 
parts its disagreeable flavor ; the gamelote is therefore 
consigned to the flames as soon as it is ripe enough 
to burn, which it does with as much seeming fury as 



THE APURE RIVER. 



123 



it displayed against the feet and legs of travellers in 
its green days. 

On the second night of our journey, we pitched 
our camp near several ponds, literally crowded with 
alligators and fish and water fowl of all varieties, 
which kept up a continual strife, to our great discom- 
fort. Not only was the water rendered noxious by 
the numerous creatures in it, but even the air was 
filled with the efiiuvium and mosquitoes arising there- 
from. We were compelled to dig wells in the vicin- 
ity of the lagoons to obtain water for our use ; but 
no artifice could shield us from the unmerciful attacks 
of the mosquitoes, especially the kind called pul- 
loneSy from the length and strength of the proboscis. 
"We tried in vain to escape their painful sting by roll- 
ing ourselves from head to foot in our ponchos and 
hammocks, at the peril of suffocation ; the needle-like 
proboscis of the insects actually penetrated through 
the folds of our covering so as to draw blood. Nor 
would the smoke of the blazing fires around the 
camp drive them off, as was anticipated. Fortunately, 
they only paid us an early visit, retiring all at once 
before midnight, and leaving us to the tender mercies 
of their kinsfolk, the noisy mosquitoes or zancudos. 
These, although not so tormenting with their sting, 
were none the less so with their music, while no part 
of our bodies could be left uncovered without being 
instantly besieged by swarms of these " howling-insect 
wolves." This, however, was the only occasion upon 
which we were troubled by mosquitoes during our 
journey, as they only appear in force during the rainy 
season. 



124 



WILD SCENES IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



I noticed here for the first time a low range of 
hills or medanos, mere accumulations of sand tossed 
from place to place by the winds across the boundless 
plain ; to-day, they rise above the surrounding prai- 
ries ; to-morrow, they are levelled with the dust of the 
savannas : fit emblem of the ephemeral republics of 
the South ! These medanos had been overrun by the 
gamelote, giving them the character of permanent 
hills, from which the place takes the name of Me- 
danos de San Martin. 

It is scarcely necessary to say that there was no 
temptation to prolong our stay there longer than was 
needed by our horses, who revelled all night in the 
fine meadows around the lagoons. Packing up once 
more, we bade adieu to that inhospitable encampment 
long before daylight. 

Struggling through miles of gamelote, we reached 
the cattle farm of Corozito towards noon. Don Lu- 
ciano Samuel, the proprietor, extended to us the hos- 
pitalities of his demesne with the characteristic grace 
and frankness of the people in those regions. From 
thence to the Pass of Apurito, on the river Apure, 
was only a few hours' ride ; and the morning being 
the best time for crossing the river with our animals, 
we rose early in order to reach it before the breeze 
should commence blowing. 

Owing to the thick vegetation on its banks, we 
did not discover the river until we were close upon 
it ; and then, with what delight did I again view the 
broad surface of this magnificent stream ! 

Although born near its shores, I had but a faint 
recollection of its broad expanse. Perhaps its turbu- 



TEE APURE RIVER. 



125 



lent waves had rocked my raw-hide cradle during one 
of the periodical inundations ; for, from earliest child- 
hood, I have borne marks left by the teeth of the 

caribe. 

What glorious recollections of the fierce contest 
for liberty did its waters bring to memory ! Not the 
lordly Thames, with its " woven-winged " argosies, 
teeming with the merchandise of the earth ; the en- 
chanting Delaware, framed in romantic cottages and 
orchard groves ; nor yet the splendid Hudson, re- 
nowned for its floating palaces and legends, but more, 
that on its banks nestles the home of Irving, awakened 
in my breast such emotions of heartfelt admiration as 
did this silent messenger from the Sierra Nevada ! 
There, amidst the tlmnders of the Heavens and rolling 
avalanches, it takes its rise, precipitately descending 
to the plain below through a succession of frightful 
leaps, which shake the primeval forest to its very 
foundations. And so it comes, that its surface is often 
loaded with an immense accumulation of fallen trees 
from the various zones of vegetation it traverses in its 
course. Thus the delicate ferns and other Alpine 
plants are commingled with those of the burning 
climes below, and finally deposited in the wide estu- 
ary forming the delta of the Orinoco. When future 
generations shall disentomb them in a petrified state, 
their geologists will no doubt attribute this singular 
agglomeration to wonderful changes in the temper- 
ature of the earth. 

The river Apure, properly speaking, is formed by 
the confluence of two other streams, the Sarare and 
Uribante. The former has its rise among the New 



126 WILD SCENES IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



Granadian range of mountains, although a great por- 
tion of its waters flow now into the Arauca, conse- 
quent on the great deposits of sand and drift wood 
accumulating at its mouth. 

The Uribante, or Upper Apure, may be consid- 
ered the main channel of this river, with a total 
length of six hundred and forty miles, five hundred 
and sixty-four of which are navigable for large vessels. 
It takes the name of Apure after its junction with the 
Sarare ; but is again subdivided into several ramifi- 
cations called canos or creeks, each of which has a 
particular name ; among them, La Ebilla, Apurito 
and Apure-Seco are the most important ; these again 
unite with the main channel, and form islands of sur- 
prising fertility. These islands are invaluable as^6>- 
treros for the cattle, when other parts of the country 
are parched with the droughts of summer, the steep 
banks and wide channels of the rivers serving as the 
most effectual barriers against their roaming propen- 
sities. 

The geographical situation of this river, joined as 
it is to one of the greatest tributaries of the wide 
ocean — the Orinoco — at a point nearly five hundred 
miles from its confluence with the sea, stamps it as 
one of the most important lines of internal navigation 
in the world, and points to the wild region of the 
Llanos as a future emporium of civilization. To it all 
the products and other natural sources of wealth from 
the adjoining provinces will be brought for immediate 
exportation to foreign markets ; as, in addition to the 
vast area of level country traversed by it, this river 
receives the tribute of a hundred navigable streams 



THE APURE RIVER. 



127 



descending from the eastern slope of the Andes of 
New Granada and Venezuela. 

The width of the Apure varies considerably ac- 
cording to the seasons of rains and droughts ; some- 
times extending miles beyond its actual channel, but 
usually not less than one thousand yards broad. 
Humboldt, who measured it at San Fernando in the 
month of May, when it had receded to its lowest ebb, 
found it to be two hundred and thirty-six toises 
broad ; higher up it is considerably wider, gradually 
diminishing as it approaches its great confluent. Al- 
luding to this singular phenomenon, mostly caused 
by evaporation and infiltrations through the dry, 
sandy banks of the river, the same eminent traveller 
elucidates some curious facts worthy of notice. He 
says : " Some idea of the magnitude of these effects 
may be formed, from the fact that we found the heat 
of the dry sands at different hours of the day ffom 
36° to 52°,* and that of sands covered with three or 
four inches of water 32°. The beds of rivers are 
heated as far as the depth to which the solar rays can 
penetrate, without undergoing too great an expansion 
in their passage through the superincumbent strata 
of water. Besides, filtration extends in a lateral di- 
rection far beyond the bed of the river. The shore, 
Which appears dry to us, imbibes water as far up as 
to the level of the surface of the river. We saw 
water gush out at the distance of fifty toises from the 
shore, every time that the Indians struck their oars 
into the ground. Now, these sands, wet below but 

* Centigrade Thermom.=97° to 126° Fah. 



128 



WILD SCENES IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



dry above, and exposed to the solar rays, act like 
sponges, and lose the infiltrated water every instant 
by evaporation. The vapor that is emitted traverses 
the upper stratum of sand strongly heated, and be- 
comes sensible to the eye when the air cools towards 
evening. As the beach dries, it draws from the 
river new portions of water ; and it may be easily 
conceived that this continual alternation of vaporiza- 
tion and lateral absorption must cause an immense 
loss, difficult to submit to exact calculation. The in- 
crease of these losses would be in proportion to the 
length of the course of the rivers, if from their source 
to their mouth they were equally surrounded by a 
fiat shore ; but these shores being formed by dej>osits 
from the water, and the water having less velocity in 
proportion as it is more remote from its source, throw- 
ing down more sediment in the lower than in the 
upper part of its course, many rivers in hot climates 
undergo a diminution in the quantity of their water 
as they approach their outlets. Mr. Barrow observed 
these curious effects of sands in the southern part of 
Africa, on the banks of the Orange river. They have 
also become the subject of a very important discus- 
sion in the various hypotheses that have been formed 
respecting the course of the Niger." 

At the time we crossed the Apure, it was consid- 
erably below the average width, as we were then in 
the midst of the dry season ; nevertheless, it presented 
a formidable obstacle to our progress. There being 
only one canoe at the pass, the whole morning was 
spent in the transportation of our bulky riding-gear 
and luggage ; and the breeze setting in shortly after 



THE APURE RIVER. 



129 



our arrival, the passage of the horses was postponed 
until noon, in consequence of the agitated state of the 
water. It would have been rather hazardous to ex- 
pose our valuable steeds to the " chopping sea," 
which, beating against the animals' nostrils, is apt to 
stop their respiration, and as they then lose their 
steadiness in swimming, are rendered liable to be 
drowned. 

We were met on the opposite bank of the river 
by a committee of gentlemen in their shirt sleeves, 
like ourselves, commissioned by the inhabitants of 
Apurito to tender our Leader the hospitalities of their 
village. Prominent among them was the general 
overseer of his estate, Commandant Ravago, a tough, 
wiry, and weather-beaten individual, whose nose 
Nature had made of an unjustifiable length, and who 
discoursed in a language peculiar to himself. Indeed, 
it required one to be well versed in the jargon of the 
Llanos to understand his dissertations upon matters 
and things in general ; for he pretended to be a con- 
noisseur in every thing, except languages ; the English, 
especially, was peculiarly distasteful to his ears, and 
whenever he heard us conversing in that tongue, he 
declared in his patois, that it reminded him of a pack 
of horses neighing to each other. Notwithstanding 
his uncouth manner and appearance, our overseer 
was a very shrewd fellow, and quite au fait in all 
matters appertaining to cattle farms. 

As for the village or port of Apurito, it was a 
mere assemblage of mud-plastered cottages, thatched, 
like all houses in that region, with palm leaves. 
Some of them had doors and windows of planed 
6* 



130 WILD SCENES IN SOUTH AMERICA. 

boards ; but the greater part were free to whoever 
and whatever chose to walk or crawl into them ; no 
church, no school-house, no building devoted to pub- 
lic meetings of any sort. The Alcalde, that most im- 
portant functionary in small Spanish communities, 
held his audiences in the narrow corridor of his hut, 
while the sola was devoted to the all-absorbing game 
of monte. Once a year the Padre, next in importance 
to his Honor the Alcalde, paid a visit to the village, 
when all the boys and girls who had not been bap- 
tized were brought before him at his lodgings, where 
the ceremony was performed in a somewhat informal 
manner, and without special regard being paid to the 
strict injunctions of the Church. There were a few 
storehouses scattered along the banks of the river, 
where all business transactions were carried on. 
These were principally in hides, which are given in 
exchange for the few articles of barter brought from 
the Orinoco. Hides, in fact, are the bank notes of 
the Llanos ; and although rather voluminous and 
uncleanly, they change hands as readily as any 
" paper " that was ever in " the market." These are 
taken to Ciudad Bolivar, formerly Angostura, in 
bongos and one-mast sailing vessels called lanchas, 
which return laden with salt, knives, blankets, and 
printed calicoes, articles of prime necessity among the 
inhabitants. Other ports along the Apure, such as 
Nutrias and San Fernando, carry on a very extensive 
trade in these goods. The first-named town adds 
largely to her exports, bringing in the agricultural 
products of the adjoining province of Barinas. These 
are coffee, cacao, indigo, and tobacco ; the last being 



THE APURE RIVER. 



131 



highly prized in Germany for meerschaums, and al- 
ways obtaining a ready sale at Bolivar. 

The course of the Apure being nearly in a straight 
line from west to east, the trade winds blowing across 
the plains in the summer season play a very impor- 
tant part in propelling, even against the current, the 
heaviest craft sailing up the river. During the rainy 
season, the westerly winds combine with the current 
of the stream in expediting the progress of vessels. 
Of late, several steamboats have been added to 
those already engaged in this traffic ; and I am told 
are doing a very profitable business. God speed 
them ! 

" During the time of great floods," writes Hum- 
boldt, " the inhabitants of these countries, to avoid the 
force of the currents, and the danger arising from the 
trunks of trees which these currents bring down, in- 
stead of ascending the beds of rivers in their boats, 
cross the savannas. To go from San Fernando to the 
villages of San Juan de Payara, San Rafael de Ata- 
maica, or San Francisco de Capanaparo, they direct 
their course due south, as if they were crossing a 
single river of twenty leagues broad. The junctions 
of the Guarico, the Apure, the Cabullare, and the 
Arauca with the Orinoco, form, at a hundred and 
sixty leagues from the coast of Guiana, a kind of in- 
terior delta, of which hydrography furnishes few ex- 
amples in the Old World. According to the height 
of the mercury in the barometer, the waters of the 
Apure have only a fall of thirty -four toises from San 
Fernando to the sea. The fall from the mouths of 



132 



WILD SCENES IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



the Osage and the Missouri to the bar of the Missis- 
sippi is not more considerable. The savannas of 
Lower Louisiana everywhere remind us of the sa- 
vannas of the Lower Orinoco." — Travels to the Equi- 
noxial Regions. 



CHAPTER X. 



SAVANNAS OF APUEE. 



After a thorough examination of animals and 
baggage, to see that all was as it ought to be, we left 
the uninteresting village of Apurito for our cattle- 
estate of San Pablo de Apure, a few miles further 
south. As we passed the last house fronting the 
river, Mr. Thomas descried a jaguar-skin, which the 
owner of the hut had spread to dry upon the fence. 
Wishing to examine it more closely, he spurred his 
mule ahead and was in the act of seizing the skin, 
when the animal, whose view of it had until then been 
obstructed by the other beasts, coming unexpectedly 
into close proximity with the — to him — fearful object, 
drew back in terror, snorting, kicking, and plunging 
so violently as to capsize the unlucky artist upon the 
sandy beach. The abhorrence with which mules re- 
gard the South American tiger, is one of the most 
curious phenomena of animal instinct with which I 
am acquainted ; not only do they manifest it at sight 



1U 



WILD SCENES IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



of the creature, but also by their scent, while the 
animal is still a long distance off, and yet, in most 
cases, they have never seen a tiger, as was the case in 
the present instance, this mule having been reared in 
the potreros of San Pablo de Paya, where tigers are 
rarely, if ever, met with. 

After a ride of a few hours through alternate 
glades of gigantic mimosas and verdant savannas, we 
reached San Pablo before night had cast her gloom 
over those solemn wilds. The house was neat and 
well located, commanding an extended view of the 
country and innumerable herds of cattle grazing in the 
distance. There were, besides, a large caney or bar- 
racoon for the accommodation of the men and their 
chattels, and a detached hut in which the culinary 
functions of the establishment were to be performed. 

The appellation of San Pablo, conferred on this 
farm also — although the owner possessed already 
another of the same name — made me suspect that 
snakes were not uncommon in that country, the reality 
of which fact I ascertained the first time that I strolled 
any considerable distance from the house. In a coun- 
try where saints are supposed to exert an unbounded 
influence over all human affairs, it is not unusual to 
give to houses and localities, threatened with some 
special calamity, the name of the saint who is consid- 
ered the patron or defender from that particular evil : 
thus places which are frequently visited by thunder- 
storms, are called after Santa Barbara ; those infested 
with snakes, receive the name of San Pablo, &c, &c. 

Although this farm formed part of the demesne we 
came to inspect, we did not remain there longer than 



.SAVANNAS OF APURE. 



135 



was absolutely necessary to investigate into its general 
condition. 

When the order was given to remove to El Frio — 
another farm further westward — we gladly saddled 
horses and started off at a brisk pace over those fresh 
and beautiful prairies which, with their perpetual 
grassy carpet, caused us to feel as if we were coming 
into a land of promise and contentment, instead of one 
of toil and hardship. Indeed, every thing denoted 
that we were now entering on far different scenes from 
those we had left across the river. It seemed a ter- 
restrial paradise, where a beneficent Providence had 
congregated every animal most needed by man. Now 
it was the slender forms of deer in herds bounding 
swiftly over the greensward ; now the gristly wild 
hogs and capyvaras making hastily for the nearest 
swamp to avoid the eager chase of our men. Occa- 
sionally might be seen a redoubtable wild bull, retir- 
ing sulkily and slowly at the head of his shaggy troop, 
as if wishing to dispute our right to enter his domain. 
Yegetation, however, seemed to flourish here less than 
in other places we had visited, as, excepting a few 
scattered palms of a new variety, and some straggling 
Matas — which, from the mirage continually before 
us, appeared like fairy groves set in clearest water — 
nothing but the fine and level lawn met the eye for 
many miles. 

Unlike the higher plains, where only a coarse 
herbage predominates, the savannas of Apure are 
characterized by a luxuriant growth of various grasses, 
which, like those of the Portuguesa, preserve a uni- 
form verdure throughout the year. These grasses — 



138 WILD SCENES IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



some of which are as soft and pliable as silk — are 
most important in the economy of cattle-breeding in 
the savannas watered by the Apnre and its tribu- 
taries. The prodigious increase of animals in these 
plains is mainly owing to the superiority of the pas- 
tures over those of the upper regions of the Llanos, 
from whence the farmer is compelled to migrate with 
his stock every summer. 

I noticed in Apure three varieties of grass, which 
in richness of flavor and nutritious qualities can hardly 
be surpassed by any other fodder plants of the tem- 
perate zones. In the early part of the rainy season, 
the granadilla — a grass reaching to about four feet in 
height, with tender succulent blades and panicles of 
seed not nnlike some varieties of broomcorn — starts 
with the earliest showers of spring. It grows with 
great rapidity, and is greedily sought by all rumi- 
nants ; but being an annual, soon disappears, leaving 
no vestige of its existence. In the alluvial bottom- 
lands subject to the periodical inundation, two other 
grasses, no less esteemed for their nutriment, have an 
uninterrupted growth and luxuriance which the hot- 
test season cannot blast ; these are the carretera, 
named from the beautiful prairie-goose that feeds on 
it, and the lamhedora, so termed on account of its 
softness, animals feeding on it appearing to lick rather 
than masticate it. Cattle and horses thrive on it very 
perceptibly, and even calves only a fortnight old, may 
be left to shift for themselves amidst those nutritious 
pastures. 

Ester os is the name by which these perennial mead- 
ows are there designated. They have moreover the 



SAVANNAS OF APURE. 



137 



advantage of retaining water enough throughout the 
year to make them the resort of all kinds of quadru- 
peds and of every fowl whom " Nature has taught to 
dip the wing in water," the former to allay their 
thirst and feast on the fine grass, and the latter for 
the purpose of raising their young in the vicinity of 
ponds well stocked with fish of all varieties. 

No description can convey a just idea of the ap- 
pearance presented by these lagoons, crowded with 
almost every variety of animal. The birds in particu- 
lar — most of which belong to the extensive family of 
cranes — seem to have migrated there from all quarters 
of the globe. These fluttering communities of aquatic 
birds are known in the country under the appropriate 
name of gar zeros, from the many garzas — herons — 
predominating in them. The immense number of 
these may be conceived from the fact that their colo- 
nies sometimes embrace several miles in extent. I 
noticed there also various kinds of cranes — garzones — 
one of them, called the soldier, from its erect bearing 
and martial air — is over five feet in height, with a 
bill fully a foot long. The garzas were of various 
sizes and colors, some snow-white, some a delicate 
blue, others gray or pink, and many of a brilliant 
scarlet. Although cranes and herons are species very 
nearly allied, yet they verify the old saying, " birds 
of a feather flock together," for each keeps quite dis- 
tinct from the other. They generally select the 
spreading top of a low bush — caujaro — growing in 
vast quantities near the water, in which to build their 
nests ; these are of dry sticks very ingeniously inter- 
woven among the branches. Well-beaten tracks are 



138 



WILD SCENES IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



made under the bushes by the tramp of many sus- 
picious characters of the feline tribe, who make these 
feathered colonies their favorite resort, where they 
improve every opportunity of appropriating any 
young birds that may chance to fall from the nests. 

As we rode past several ponds, covered with a 
kind of water-lily, whose flowers are of a dark purple 
color, myriads of ducks, of the small species called 
giliriries, rose in the air, actually for the moment ob- 
scuring the sun. They uttered a shrill note, clearly 
repeating the sound from which they are named, so 
that the hunter easily discovers their whereabout. 
There were, besides, great numbers of a larger species 
of duck — the pato real, or royal duck — so named, 1 
presume, from a graceful tuft of black feathers with 
which it is crowned. Here and there a brace of 
carreteros soared over head, uttering their peculiar 
rolling notes ; the hoarse quacking of the male bird, 
followed by the shrill cries of the female, make perfect 
the before-mentioned resemblance to the rumbling of 
cartwheels. 

During the moulting season, the people in the 
neighborhood of these lagoons resort to them from 
time to time, and drive without difficulty towards the 
farm-house as many of these ducks as they may desire. 
I was assured by several reliable individuals that not 
far from San Fablo there is a lagoon on the borders 
of which a regiment of cavalry once encamped, and 
lived during a fortnight exclusively on these birds, 
without any apparent diminution of their numbers. 

This prodigious exuberance of animal life has 
justly entitled the Apure to the reputation of being 



SAVANNAS OF APURE. 



139 



a land of plenty ; but, alas, it is also a land of death ! 
as, from the bottom of these extensive marshes mias- 
mas of a pestilential nature are continually arising, 
which, at certain seasons of the year, render this fine 
country almost uninhabitable for man. They are 
also the abode of those enormous water-snakes or ana- 
condas, known in the country under the name of 
culebras de agua, in contradistinction to the boa con- 
strictor or traga-venado, so termed on account of the 
ease with which it gorges itself with a whole deer at 
once. Both of these snakes are also remarkable for the 
strength which enables them to crush their victims in 
the coils of their huge muscular bodies ; but the ana- 
conda is by far the more voracious and bold of the 
two, attacking not only inferior animals, such as 
deer, capyvaras, and youug calves, but even that pride 
of the herd, the padrote, cannot always escape the 
deadly embrace. Woe to the unsuspecting colt or 
heifer, who, panting with thirst and heat, should in- 
cautiously plunge into one of these modern Stygian 
lakes, for the coil of the monster will in an instant be 
around it, followed by a fearful cracking of its bones. 
This accomplished, the snake proceeds to cover the 
whole mangled body with a slimy secretion from his 
mouth which assists him in the process of deglutition. 
Should it be a stag — the head of which presents the 
formidable obstacle of its huge antlers — the snake 
commences by swallowing first the hind quarters, 
trusting to time and the natural process of decay for 
the head to drop off. In this plight the anaconda is 
often found, looking like an immense log, stretched out 
in the soft mud of lagoons, whence they are then easily 



140 



WILD SCENES IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



dragged by means of a lazo, tied to the tail of a horse. 
On examining the mouth of one of these snakes, it 
will be found that the jaws are furnished with a row 
of sharp and crooked teeth, bent inward like tenter 
hooks ; with these he seizes his prey, and holds it 
securely until the victim, unable to struggle longer, 
drops exhausted. What appears most extraordinary 
in these unequal contests, is the tenacity with which 
the snake adheres to the soft mud of the lagoon, there 
being neither rock nor stump to which he can secure 
himself. Nor will the efforts of a large bull, no mat- 
ter how powerful, be sufficient to drag the snake one 
inch out of his element, unless he is first cut asunder. 
In darting upon a quadruped, the anaconda inva- 
riably aims at its snout, the animal seldom escaping 
when once the terrible fangs have been buried in its 
flesh. It is not an unusual thing, however, for a bull 
to cut a snake asunder in his violent struggles ; then 
the shaggy victor may be seen proudly marching at 
the head of his troop with this unsightly trophy hang- 
ing from his nose. The toughness of the anaconda's 
skin makes it eagerly sought after by the inhabitants 
for straps and various other objects susceptible of 
injury from friction, as they outwear those made from 
any other material. The fat is also much esteemed 
for burning, and as a lubricator for the bones and 
tendons of persons afflicted with rheumatism, or rigid- 
ity of limb. This oil is perfectly clear and transpa- 
rent, without any disagreeable odor, and is readily ab- 
sorbed into the system by simply rubbing it on the 
skin. 

Shortly after leaving San Fablo, we had a spirited 



SAVANNAS OF APURE. 



141 



chase after a herd of wild pigs. There were upwards 
of twenty browsing on the borders of a pond, and in an 
instant the whole plain — in such repose a few moments 
before — resounded with the cries and clatter of our 
horsemen in eager pursuit of this delicious game of 
the Llanos. Many of the men being provided with 
lances, they had no difficulty in despatching most of 
those whose fate threw them in the way of the re- 
morseless cavaliers. But an old berraco or boar, 
which seemed to be the sultan of the grisly commu- 
nity, harassed by the combined attacks of several 
horsemen, suddenly whirled round and made a gallant 
stand, determined, as it appeared, not to give up 
without a fierce resistance. At first it was supposed 
that three or four men would be sufficient to bring 
him down, and that number were accordingly sent 
after him ; but finding the engagement protracted, 
several others, including myself, went to their assist- 
ance. On reaching the spot a fearful spectacle was 
presented to us. The infuriated animal, his eyes 
shooting fire, and fiercely grinding his tusks, stood at 
bay a short distance from his aggressors, his mouth 
covered with a bloody froth, while one of the men lay 
bleeding profusely from a wound on the thigh inflicted 
by the sharp tusks of the boar. We learned that 
Cipriano, the wounded hunter's name, perceiving that 
the lances of his companions only succeeded in irritat- 
ing the boar, very foolishly leaped from his saddle, 
and drawing his sword, deliberately attacked him 
without even taking the precaution of covering his 
movements with the sheepskin from his saddle, as is 
practised in contests with wild bulls. The man 



X42 WILD SCENES IN SOUTH AMERICA. 

boasted with reason of being the most skilful matador 
in all the Apure ; but in this case he did not reckon 
on the tough hide of his opponent ; for, at the first 
rush of the boar upon him, and in spite of the steadi- 
ness with which he aimed the stroke, the well-tem- 
pered steel bent like a reed the moment it encountered 
the shoulder of the boar, leaving Cipriano completely 
at the mercy of the enraged brute. The consequence, 
as I have already stated, was a severe gash, almost 
laying bare the femoral bone of the unfortunate 
matador. The tusks of the wild boar, especially those 
of the lower jaw, are so long and sharp, that the ani- 
mal makes use of them as a bull does of his horns. 
The upper ones rest directly upon the lower, and his 
constant grinding of them, especially when he is en- 
raged, soon wears the points into a broad and sharp 
edge. United, these tusks form a perfect circle five 
or six inches in diameter. The services of our surgeon, 
Dr. Gallegos, were immediately called into requisition, 
who dressed the wound, while the companions of the 
suffering hunter endeavored to avenge him. They 
rained a shower of lances upon the body of the en- 
raged beast, but, apparently, with no better effect ; 
for, with one powerful stroke of his tusks, he broke in 
two the shaft of some and carried away the head of 
others. Doubtless we should have succeeded in fin- 
ishing him after a time ; but the helpless condition 
of our companion requiring especial care, we placed 
him on his saddle, for want of better conveyance, and, 
leaving the boar conqueror, proceeded on our journey. 

Having killed more animals than we could con- 
veniently carry, we selected two fat sows for our 



SAVANNAS OF APURE. 



143 



breakfast, and left the remainder to the flock of 
turkey-buzzards which, like a troop of hungry scav- 
engers, followed our line of march across the prairies. 

I may observe here that the wild boar of the 
Llanos is the common hog run wild in consequence 
of the little or no care bestowed upon their breeding 
in the cattle-farms, and as they find in these swamps 
all the elements they require for their development, 
viz., roots of various kinds, sweet herbs, eels, snakes, 
and mire ad libitum, their propagation is greatly in- 
creased. Thus the number of pigs in these savannas is 
almost incredible — in the lands of El Frio alone being 
estimated at forty thousand — and a just idea may be 
formed of their ravages from the fact that, for miles 
around, those fine prairies have been completely 
ploughed up by them, rendering the ground exceed- 
ingly dangerous for horses, and almost useless for 
cattle-breeding, by destroying the fine pastures which 
are invariably replaced by a crop of worthless weeds. 

"Wild hogs, nevertheless, sometimes render good 
service by destroying the snakes — for which they seem 
to have a particular penchant — especially that little 
scourge of the savannas of Apure, the dreaded mata- 
caballo. 

The tails of these hogs being especially long, 
and, as usual, twisted, they swing them round con- 
tinually when running — a peculiarity which did 
not escape a benighted son of Africa, who was being 
trained at a cattle-farm to the business of the Llanos, 
and which occasioned quite a ludicrous scene at one 
of these hunts. He had become already expert in the 
use of the lazo, and was one day taken to the savanna 



li-t WILD SCENES IN SOUTH AMERICA. 

by the overseer for the purpose of procuring an ox for 
slaughter, when they fell in with a fine hog, which at 
once changed their plans, and they immediately gave 
him chase. None of the men had lazos, except the 
negro, and he was therefore commanded to follow 
and secure the game ; but although he rode a very 
swift horse, and was often within range of the lazo, he 
was observed each time to slacken his pace without 
any apparent cause. " Now then, ..... son of 

thy mother," the Llanero vociferated, "let 

go the lazo, or we will roast thee alive in his stead," 
shouting at him also many other no less characteristic 
expressions. But Sambo, waving the lazo over his 
head in order to keep the noose open, would again 
stop short of his mark, until the pig, who probably 
knew by this time that he was wanted, straining every 
nerve to reach a swamp hard by, succeeded at last in 
gaining a clump of wild plantains that bordered the 
estero. Here the major-domo, losing his small rem- 
nant of patience, quickly rode up to him, and dis- 
charging sundry lashes with his chaparro upon the 
sooty skin of his apprentice, asked him, in a thunder- 
ing voice : " How now, my master, why did ye let the 
fellow go without a single effort on thy part to secure 
him ? Have not I taught thee well enough how to 
handle a lazo, thou sooty imp ? " " Oh ! yessa, mas- 
sa," quoth the darkey ; " but, look yer, massa, when 
me wisher to lazo pig, him wisher to lazo me nei- 
ther ; " imitating, at the same time, with his arm the 
swinging of the pig's tail. 

Yery beautiful was the appearance of the many 
herds, each headed by its padrote, on all sides dispers- 



SAVANNAS OF APURE. 



145 



ing at our approach. The bulls are generally of a 
grave and quiet disposition when collected in herds, 
and rather avoid the approach of man unless provoked 
to self-defence, when they become very ferocious. 
Each troop is under the control of the most powerful 
bull in the drove, a position which is only attained by 
dint of strength and courage ; as not only has he to 
defend his troop from the attacks of the common ene- 
my, but to maintain his supremacy against rival ena- 
morados. Thus the padrote, or big father, as he is 
appropriately styled, can show many scars upon his 
tough hide, received in these fierce combats. If a lion 
or jaguar approach during the night, the padrote im- 
mediately takes all his measures for the defence of his 
post. His first care is to compel the herd into a com- 
pact mass, and then advances to engage the enemy in 
single combat, from which he rarely fails to come off 
victorious. In the mean time the herd, within the 
limited space into which they have been congregated, 
with heads lowered towards the enemy, prepare to 
repulse the intruder and defend their young by a for- 
midable array of horns. 

Man is the only antagonist whose superiority the 
padrote will acknowledge ; but even this is not with- 
out an obstinate resistance whenever he has an opportu- 
nity. Eor will he retire in a hurry from his pursuers, 
but facing about from time to time, often succeeds in 
thwarting their intentions and securing an honorable 
retreat. 

When the sun is high in the meridian, troops of 
these noble animals may be seen slowly advancing 
towards the nearest mata, seeking to avoid the exces- 
7 



146 



WILD SCENES IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



sive heat of the day and to enjoy their siesta in cool 
retirement. Here they amuse themselves sometimes 
in watching over their harems, sometimes in making 
their toilet, which is rubbing the point of their horns 
against the hard trunk of a palm tree, or any other 
convenient object, until they become sharp as awls. 
Woe! then, to the imprudent traveller who, over- 
powered by the heat, seeks refuge in one of those 
groves, thus intruding upon the sanctuary of his bull- 
ship's seraglio. Should he succeed in escaping safe 
and sound, his horse is certain of being severely chas- 
tised for his master's indiscretion. 

An adventurous Briton, who once penetrated into 
one of those haunts sacred to Taurus, came very 
near losing his life in consequence. He fortunately 
escaped with only a few scratches and contusions ; but 
his clothes were torn from his body by the horns and 
hoofs of the bull. It chanced in this wise : The inten- 
sity of the sun's rays had compelled the traveller and 
his companion — a shrewd old Llanero, who acted as 
guide — to seek shelter under a solitary grove. On a 
closer acquaintance they judged it to be the retreat 
of a wild bull, from the deep scars observable on the 
bark of the trees, evidently caused by some animal's 
horns. They were not mistaken, for they soon dis- 
covered at a short distance, quietly grazing, the prob- 
able owner of the rural retreat. Knowing from ex- 
perience that this would be a very unsafe spot for their 
siesta, the Llanero advised that they should move off 
at once, rather than be ejected thence, as would surely 
be the case if they remained much longer. But John 
Bull, with characteristic pride, and trusting entirely 



SAVANNAS OF APURE. 



147 



to his fine brace of pistols, laughed at the idea of giv- 
ing up his comfortable quarters, without at least a 
struggle for their possession. Ordering the man to 
sling his hammock, he carefully examined his pistols, 
after which he retired to his aerial couch. The Llanero 
shook his head and very wisely omitted unsaddling 
the horses, contenting himself with merely unfastening 
the straps. Presently the bull began to advance in 
the direction of the mata, which the phlegmatic Eng- 
lishman no sooner perceived, than quitting his ham- 
mock, he seized his pistols and went to the encounter. 
The Llanero crossed himself, and taking the horses 
aside, proceeded to secure the saddles and to tie the 
lazo to the tail of his own steed. In the mean time 
the bull continued leisurely advancing, apparently 
without much noticing his uninvited guests ; occasion- 
ally, however, uttering deep bellowings expressive of 
his displeasure. Bang ! bang ! went the two pistols ; 
but before the smoke had cleared, the Llanero beheld 
his companion stretched upon the ground and fiercely 
trampled under the feet of the infuriated animal. 
Swift as thought, the Llanero sprang into the saddle, 
and spreading his lazo, whirled it two or three times 
above his . head ; then let it fall around the horns of 
the bull at the very instant he was about to transfix 
the prostrate traveller. Thus providentially prevent- 
ed from doing further injury, he was easily hamstrung 
and finally despatched by the captors. That the Eng- 
lishman escaped being instantly killed, can only be 
accounted for by the fact that a bull often misses his 
aim from the very fury of his attack. 



CHAPTER XL 



EL FRIO. 



On arriving at El Frio, we were agreeably sur- 
prised at finding more spacious accommodations than 
we had anticipated. The house, although thatched 
like all the rest with palm leaves, was spacious and 
well built of pajareque • that is, the framework of the 
walls was of strong posts of timber, well lathed and 
plastered over with soft mud mixed with straw. In 
addition to a large sola or reception room, it con- 
tained three or four sleeping apartments ; but these 
last were so full of bats, that it was impossible to pass 
a comfortable night in them, especially on account of 
the disagreeable odor proceeding from these disgust- 
ing creatures, while the incessant bird-like chirping 
sound which they made overhead, completely mur- 
dered our first night's sleep. We tried in vain to 
smoke them out by means of dried cow dung. They 
absented themselves during a portion of the day, but 
were sure to return at dusk, bringing with them an 
abundant supply of wild berries for their supper, 
some of which they were constantly dropping in our 



EL FRIO. 



149 



hammocks, finally compelling us to seek refuge in the 
open air of the corridors and courtyard. 

Apart from the mansion stood a row of smaller 
structures containing the kitchen and storerooms of 
the farm, which being useless to us, we abandoned to 
the bats and turkey-buzzards. Our cooking, as usual, 
was left to our skilful chef Monico and his satellites, 
who preferred the sans fagon style of the camp to 
confining themselves in the narrow range of a kitchen. 

That which chiefly attracted my attention at this 
farm was the substantial nature of the fence encom- 
passing the buildings, capable of resisting not only 
the sudden rush of a herd of cattle, for which purpose 
it was intended, but also a heavy cannonade, in case 
of need. It was constructed of enormous blocks of 
trees, almost impervious to steel or fire, driven into 
the ground, each as close to the other as possible, and 
neatly trimmed at top so as to present an even sur- 
face. I was unable to comprehend by what means 
those monster rails could have been removed from the 
forest. This, I afterwards ascertained, had been ac- 
complished during the inundation of the savannas, 
when they are easily transported in balsas or rafts 
made of lighter wood. The trees yielding this ever- 
lasting timber are two distinct species of acacias, 
known in the country under the euphonious names 
of Angelino and Acapro, either of which will turn 
the edge of the best tempered steel if great care is not 
used. I was shown here two uprights to the princi- 
pal gate of the majada or great enclosure for cattle, 
nearly a hundred years old, still in perfect preserva- 



150 



WILD SCENES IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



tion, although standing in soil subject to alternate in- 
undations and parching heats. 

The majada, also formed of strong posts, was 
sufficiently spacious to contain three thousand an- 
imals, with compartments for the accommodation of 
the herds during the various operations of cattle 
farms. Although there was abundant vegetable 
material for the comfort or security of the inmates, I 
observed here, as everywhere, a total want of shade 
trees around the houses. The Llaneros, although 
strongly addicted to the " sweets of savage life," are 
decidedly opposed to trees in the immediate neighbor- 
hood of their dwellings. Trees, say they, attract the 
thunderbolt of heaven and the wild beasts of the field, 
being besides the natural refuge of snakes and mos- 
quitoes during the great floods. This lack of shade 
was the more regretted by us as we were then in the 
midst of the summer solstice, when the sun pours its 
vertical rays upon the dry soil, while each day be- 
tween the hours of ten and eleven, a strong breeze 
arose, sweeping over the exposed plain, and bringing 
with it showers of sand ; this lodged in our mouths, 
eyes and ears, and mingled with the food, thus render- 
ing it unpalatable even to our carnivorous appetites. 
And yet, but a short distance from the house bloomed 
an inviting grove, two or three miles in circumfer- 
ence ; this a man of taste could have readily converted 
into a delightful abode, especially as in the rainy season 
the inundation of the surrounding savannas would 
permit the approach of vessels from the Orinoco, by 
which the owner could supply himself with all the 
comforts of civilized life. This charming spot was 



EL FRIO. 



151 



further embellished by a small lake, where we daily 
watered our horses, though not without some risk to 
life and limb on account of the babas and caimans 
swarming in its depths. Even the shallower portions 
were so filled with sting-rays, caribes, and other 
aquatic vermin, as to render bathing in it extremely 
hazardous. Our ablutions, therefore, were limited to 
the occasional scrubbing of our dusty and heated 
bodies with wet towels. The babas, although still 
more repulsive in appearance than their relative of 
the long snout — the crocodile — are considered a bonne 
bouche, especially the tail, the flesh of which is said 
to rival chicken in its flavor. From this uninviting 
fount of the desert, necessity compelled us to replenish 
our gourds each afternoon, that the particles of sand 
and clay with which it was filled might have time to 
settle during the night. 

The summer breezes, although disagreeable in 
many respects, are yet most necessary, carrying off 
noxious exhalations arising from the marshy deposits 
which remain in those low grounds long after the 
waters have subsided ; otherwise those regions would 
be uninhabitable. The Apure is especially salubrious 
in the dry season, and were it not for their impru- 
dences, the inhabitants would enjoy perfect health 
during at least seven months of the year. But these 
people, careless of consequences, and trusting to their 
iron constitutions, are not deterred, while in the ex- 
citement of a long chase, from plunging into one of 
these pestiferous marshes after the object of their pur- 
suit. The result is a severe reaction of the system, 
followed by violent spasms, fevers, or that most horrid 



152 



WILD SCENES IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



of diseases, elephantiasis or mat de San Zasaro, so 
prevalent in the hot regions of tropical America. 
Add to this recklessness the great want of medical 
resources in the country, and the consequent wretch- 
edness and misery can be readily imagined. Never- 
theless, the inhabitants seem to care so little about 
these endemic vicissitudes, that in time one accustoms 
himself also to view them in the same spirit of fatal- 
ism which they attach to every event of their lives. 

I was never weary of admiring the beauty of the 
sky and transparency of the atmosphere at this season. 
Objects three or four miles distant appeared as if 
actually only a few rods from the beholder, a circum- 
stance which often misled me when in my rambles 
after game I had to traverse the plain on foot, occa- 
sioning frequent disappointments in my reckonings. 

The radiation of heat evolved from the earth at 
night, produced by the perfect clearness of the sky, 
was so great at times as to produce a very sensible 
degree of cold, which rendered the use of blankets 
quite acceptable ; hence the name of El Frio given 
to this estate. The evenings, especially, were so raw 
and chilly, that in order to keep warm, we passed a 
great portion of the night in revelry and dancing by 
moonlight, although not one crinoline graced our 
soirees. But we had excellent dancers of the Zapateo, 
a sort of " breakdown," in which most of our men 
exhibited a flexibility of feet and ankles which would 
have done credit to the" most accomplished Ethiopian 
troop. 

Our host no Juan Manuel,, as the overseer was 
familiarly styled, had engaged the services of a cele- 



EL FRIO. 



153 



brated player on the oandola from Banco Largo, and 
there being no lack of improvisatori among us, these 
nightly revels were conducted with all the eclat that 
circumstances would permit. Among the bards who 
distinguished themselves most at such times were the 
Negro Quintana, an old Sergeant of the Guard, whose 
constant attendance for many years on his beloved 
Chief and " Master," as he styled the General, had 
endeared him to the latter ; and Sarmiento, as the 
other was named, who acted in the capacity of capo- 
ral to the cattle farm of San Pablo. Both of these 
made themselves famous by the wonderful facility 
with which they improvised on any given subject. 
They occasionally varied the performances by singing 
to their guitars ballads whose burden was invariably 
some adventure arising from the eventful life in the 
pampas. Of these choice morceaux the most popular 
were " Mambrun," an imitation of the old French 
song, " Malbrook s*en fut en guerre" and " Marce- 
lino." The hero of this last was a renowned bandit, 
who for a long time baffled all eiforts to capture him, 
but who finally received his deserts from the bands 
of a traitor, who joined his forays for the purpose of 
betraying him to his enemies. 

Marcelino was a common peon in one of the 
cattle farms bordering the river Matiyure, but being 
of a restless and daring disposition, preferred the 
roving life of a bandit to the more sober occupations 
of the farm. Finding himself pursued by the hand 
of justice, he was compelled for a time to seek refuge 
among the Indians south of the great river Meta, who 
are at this day sole tenants of those immeasurable 
7* 



154: WILD SCENES IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



wilds. His superior acquirements and boldness soon 
gained him the confidence and respect of the savages, 
who finally adopted him for their leader, following 
him in his marauding expeditions against the defence- 
less cattle forms this side of the Arauca. Embold- 
ened by success, they attacked the wealthy town of 
that name, whence Marcelino carried off a beautiful 
woman, the wife of a respectable farmer of the place, 
who employed every means in his power to recover 
her. All efforts, however, were for a time fruitless, 
owing to the wild nature of the country and the cun- 
ning of her captor ; but he was finally taken in one 
of his expeditions. The intention had been to send 
him to Achaguas, with which object he was well 
bound and placed under a strong escort ; but being 
a great favorite with all classes of Llaneros, who ad- 
mire valor in every form, he was finally given in 
charge of the famous Manuel Blanco — a rich land 
owner of the Apure — at the earnest solicitation of the 
latter, who promised to see him safely delivered to 
the authorities. On the way thither, however, Mar- 
celino managed to give his bondsman the slip, and 
escaped to his favorite haunts again. All further 
attempts to retake him failing at that time, a bold 
sambo from the upper country volunteered to pene- 
trate into the unknown region, intending to decoy 
.him and his savage band to a certain cattle farm 
where a strong picket of cavalry would lie in wait. 
Having represented to Marcelino that immense 
wealth in money and jewels was possessed by the 
owners of the farm, the bandit concluded to come out 
of his fastness and retrieve his former fame by a bold 



EL FRIO. 



155 



dash at the cattle farm of Herradero. On arriving at 
the place, where matters having been arranged as had 
been agreed upon between Maldonado — the betray- 
er's appropriate name — and the officers of justice, Mar- 
celino and his band were surprised. He endeavored 
to escape, but Maldonado spurring his horse toward 
the unsuspecting bandit, pierced him with his sword. 
Without delaying he then pushed on, followed by the 
hateroSy to the camp where the unfortunate lady was 
still a captive. They found her surrounded by a train 
of red skin dames of honor, all of whom were after- 
ward distributed as servants among the families of 
their conquerors. 

Nearly all the Indians of that tribe were destroyed 
on this occasion, only a few escaping to the Big 
Forest, where they bewailed among the monkeys and 
jaguars of those solitudes the loss of their favorite 
chieftain. The ballad which commemorates the 
event, commences : 

" A Marcelino lo mataron 
En el hato de Herradero, 
Y los Indios lo lloraron 
A su capitan vaquero." 

Marcelino the bold was slain, 

Slain at the farm of Herradero ; 

And the Indians lament in vain 

Their loved sportsman, chieftain aud hero. 

Maldonado, who at heart was a rogue of the same 
stamp as Marcelino, having tasted of the independent 
roving life of the bandit, found it so congenial that he 
concluded to follow the illustrious example of his 



156 WILD SCENES IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



former leader and associate ; but wanting in the prin- 
cipal traits which had raised the latter to his exalted 
position, was speedily destroyed and almost precisely 
in the same manner which he had devised for the 
overthrow of the renowned Marcelino. Previous to 
this, however, Maldonado, in imitation of his former 
chieftain, and availing himself of the defenceless state 
of the town of Guasdualito, attempted to carry off 
from thence la Yillafane, a lady celebrated for her 
beauty. With this intent, he brought to her door a 
horse already saddled for her, and commanded her to 
mount and follow him. This she indignantly refused 
to do ; but finding all entreaties and resistance of no 
avail, she seized some poison from a drawer at hand, 
and with resolution worthy of a Roman matron, 
placed it to her lips, exclaiming, as she did so, that 
she would surely swallow it if he did not instantly 
quit her presence. The threat proved successful ; for 
the bandit, awed by her heroism, left her. 

The business of the pampas required us to be up 
at the first peep of dawn. A cup of coffee and milk, 
mixed with ground parched corn — which I would 
recommend to all travellers on long journeys of this 
sort — served us until breakfast time. I amused my- 
self during the day sketching in company with my 
friend, Mr. Thomas, while the men made their prep- 
arations for a grand hunt among the cattle of the 
estate. The most important of these arrangements 
was that of manufacturing from hides sufficient lazos 
for the sport. There is a marked difference between 
the skins of bullocks raised in the shady parts of the 



EL FRIO. 



157 



Llanos and those roaming wild over the deserts of the 
Apure. Although the former are much thicker, the 
lazos made from the hides of cattle constantly ex- 
posed to the sun's rays are infinitely stronger. The 
lazo is easily made. A fresh hide, spread upon the 
ground with the hair downward, is neatly cut into a 
long strap two inches wide. This is twisted into a 
tight thong and stretched out to dry between two 
posts, after which it is well rubbed with fat. When 
thoroughly dried, a loop is made at one end ; through 
this, when required for use, the thong is passed, forming 
the noose or lazo proper, while the other end is firmly 
tied to the horse's tail, using its long hair for the pur- 
pose. In other parts of South America they fasten 
the lazo to a ring in the saddle ; but this arrangement, 
besides causing too great strain upon the horse's back, 
is fraught with danger to the rider in case of a recoil 
from the thong if a break occur. The thorough train- 
ing which horses receive in the Llanos is invaluable 
in such cases, as not only does the success of the chase 
depend on the readiness with which he obeys his 
rider, but even after the game is secured with the 
lazo, it is necessary that the horse should range in- 
stantly on a line with the struggling victim ; but 
unless this is effected before the strain comes upon 
the lazo, the horse and his rider are inevitably over- 
thrown. The hunter, at the moment of using the lazo, 
coils a portion of the thong, which he holds with his 
left hand, and with the rest forms the running noose, 
which is repeatedly whirled around his head to keep 
it open. When within reach of his mark, he aims at 
the animal's head and throws the noose in such a 



158 



WILD SCENES IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



manner as to cause a rapid uncoiling of the thong in 
his left hand. Some Llaneros are so expert as to 
entangle at the same instant the feet and head of 
the animal, on which he is quickly brought to the 
ground. 

We were joined at El Frio by another party of 
cattle hunters, under the leadership of an old ac- 
quaintance, Colonel Castejon, widely celebrated in 
the Llanos for great bravery and skill in the pursuits 
of the country. He came to help us in the hunt after 
wild cattle, and to help himself to as mauy animals 
as he could drive home with his party. We also had 
the honor of a visit from the Governor of the Prov- 
ince, Senor Arciniega, a jovial, talkative, and well- 
informed functionary, and the most accomplished 
marksman of the Apure. It was therefore proposed 
to have a grand shooting match in the open field, and 
with this view we all started one morning for a creek 
called Macanillal, about three miles distant, intending 
to use the crocodiles, by far the most difficult animal 
to shoot, as targets. On entering the woody banks 
of the creek, we were agreeably surprised to discover 
on the soft mud evident proofs that we had come in 
the right direction, not only for our anticipated sport 
with the water monsters, but also that we were likely 
to have a brush with even a more formidable antag- 
onist — the jaguar. Footprints of this splendid an- 
imal were so numerous, that we forgot for a time the 
crocodiles and made diligent search for the nobler 
game. We had small success, however, having no 
dogs with us to drive him from the jungle ; for, un- 



EL FRIO. 



159 



less lie has the advantage over his adversaries, the 
jaguar never shows himself in the day-time. 

As we came in sight of the water, I was aston- 
ished at seeing its whole surface bubbling as if in a 
state of effervescence, and at finding also on nearer 
inspection that this was occasioned by the blowing 
close to the water's surface of millions of coporos. 
Other varieties of fish were also so abundant, that we 
shot many near the shore, among them a very fine 
catfish. 

The report of the guns brought to the surface 
numbers of crocodiles, which we prepared to assail 
from the high bank of the creek. To our honorable 
guest, the Governor, was conceded the privilege of 
shooting the first, which he did with great accuracy, 
sending a ball directly through one of the creature's 
eyes. Still the shot did not kill him instantly, as 
would have been the result with any other animal ; 
and he plunged through the creek for a time at a 
furious rate, lashing the water with his powerful tail, 
and causing great commotion among the- finny mul- 
titude. The other crocodiles in lieu of being 
alarmed with the uproar, were only rendered more 
inquisitive, dashing forward with gleaming eyes and 
tusks, which so fascinated my friend the English 
artist, as rather endangered his safety in his eager- 
ness to get a thorough view of the reptiles. Forget- 
ting his proximity to the precipice, he approached it 
so nearly as to miss his footing, and would doubtless 
have rolled into one of the open jaws below him, but 
for the prompt assistance of a companion, who caught 
him as he was in the act of falling. 



160 



WILD SCENES IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



From the same place where the first shot was 
fired, we succeeded in killing or wounding not less 
than twenty crocodiles ; but the banks being high 
and precipitous, we could not secure the carcases. 
One of these, which lay stranded on a sand bank 
across the creek, beiDg characterized by a singular 
hump on his back, which added to his already mon- 
strous size, I felt a great desire to examine more 
closely. To accomplish this, it was necessary to ford 
the creek lower down, where I was assured the water 
was sufficiently low to allow of walking over. The 
undertaking was not, however, without considerable 
risk from the numerous sting-rays and caribes. But 
my interest in all pertaining to Nature's works helped 
me over to the other side, whither I was accompanied 
by Roseliano, a youth attached to my family, famed 
as a dare-devil. With his assistance I dragged the 
crocodile partly out of water, and was examining the 
load which nature had placed upon his back, when 
Roseliano perceived a movement of one of his eyes, 
the other having been shattered by the bullet ; we 
supposed he had been by this time quite dead. My 
young companion, who had expressed his suspicions 
that the crocodile was only feigning death, wishing 
to ascertain the truth, proposed stabbing him in the 
armpit with his dagger. Before permitting this, I 
insisted upon securing the jaws by means of a large 
stake which we sharpened at one end and plunged 
into his nostrils, and I then leaned upon it with the 
whole weight of my body. This precaution saved 
my companion, but came very near proving fatal to 
myself, as the instant the crocodile felt the cold steel 



EL FRIO. 



161 



between his ribs he raised his enormous head, lifting 
me at least a foot from the ground ; but was pre- 
vented from injuring me by the stake which he 
caught between his powerful tusks, shattering it to 
splinters, and then retreated to the middle of the 
creek. His triumph was, however, of short dura- 
tion ; for, the blood oozing in torrents from his 
wounds, he quickly fell a prey to thousands of 
hungry caribes. 

Sir Robert Schomburgh relates an incident which 
occurred during his ascent of the river Berbice, and 
which further demonstrates the tenacity of life in the 
cayman. " One was fired at, floating, and the ball 
took off the end of the snout ; it received another im- 
mediately afterward in the hinder part of the skull 
which appeared to have taken effect ; still, the In- 
dians were not sparing in their blows, and when there 
was not much likelihood of its possessing a spark of 
life, it was deposited on the bow of one of the corials. 
While the corial was drawn across the rapids, two of 
the Arawaaks got courage and took it up in order to 
lay it in a more convenient place ; they had just 
effected this, when at one bound it jumped out into 
the river and disappeared. The Indians looked quite 
stupefied, and never afterward could be persuaded to 
touch a cayman." 

The creek of Macanillal is also famous for its many 
water-dogs, or perros de agua (Myopotamus coypos) 
and nutrias. The latter is a large species of otter 
with a fine glossy fur. The former resembles a 
beaver very closely, but has a round tail similar to 
that of the opossum. Both animals live in the water, 



162 



WILD SCENES IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



coming out occasionally to sun themselves on the 
sand banks. In a hut near the scene of our last 
crocodile adventure I saw a skin of the water-dog 
which measured five feet in length, exclusive of the 
tail ; but although I often made diligent search for 
this singular amphibious animal, I never had an op- 
portunity of making his acquaintance. Like the 
otter he is extremely shy, and only the practised eye 
of an Indian can trace him near the surface of the 
water when he rises to breathe. 

I also sought in vain for the manati, (Trichetus 
manatus,) another amphibious animal very common in 
Apure during the season of floods, when it leaves the 
beds of the great rivers to feed on the grass of the 
savannas. It is between ten and fifteen feet in length, 
and weighs from five to eight hundred pounds. Its 
shape resembles that of a seal, although considerably 
longer, with a smooth skin and rather small eyes. 
The flesh of the manati is very savory, on which ac- 
count, as well as for the abundance of fat it yields, 
the Indians wage relentless war against it. 



CHAPTER XII. 



BIEDS OF ILL OMEN AND CABRION HAWKS. 

The distant bellowing of bulls assembling their 
herds — sure sign that the tiger was prowling near 
them — lulled us pleasantly to sleep in our hammock- 
beds after the fatigues and labors of the day. Not 
unfrequently we were treated to a serenading chorus 
of araguatos or howling monkeys, and to the hootings 
of the titiriji or tiger-owl of the pampas, whose pecu- 
liar cries might be readily mistaken, by an unaccus- 
tomed ear, for the angry growl of that spotted bandit 
of the forest — the jaguar. The neighboring woods 
were also the haunts of several other species of owls 
and goat-suckers, whose dreary notes wake mournful 
echoes by night and fill superstitious imaginations 
with fearful and foreboding visions. 

The tiger-owl, which may be said to rank among 
the feathered tribe as does the jaguar or American 
tiger among beasts, is nearly the size of a domestic 
turkey. Like his powerful prototype, he is spotted 
with black, and seldom makes himself heard except- 



164 



WILD SCENES IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



ing at night, when calling on his mate ; or during his 
nocturnal expeditions in the neighborhood of the 
farmyard. He is then, not only a terror to the de- 
fenceless brood, but also to the younger inmates of 
the house, who look upon him with a kind of super- 
stitious awe, on which account he sometimes escapes* 
punishment. 

Less imposing in size than the preceding — although 
more terrifying in their way — are the ya-acabo and the 
pavita — two other species of owl considered harbin- 
gers of calamity or death, when heard fluttering 
around a house. The first portends an approaching 
death among the inmates, and is therefore looked 
upon with dread even by men who would not flinch 
at the sight of the most formidable bull or jaguar. 
Yet that appalling cry, ya acabo ! ya acabo ! — it is 
finished ! it is finished ! — seems so fraught with evil 
mystery, that few hear it unmoved. The only expe- 
dient resorted to, in such cases, is to form a cross with 
hot ashes in front of the house, which, it is believed, 
will drive away this ill-omened messenger. The pavita 
— although not larger than a turtle-dove, is also con- 
sidered pajaro de mal aguero — a bird of ill-omen — ■ 
being no less — they say — than the departed spirit of 
some good-natured relative come to warn his kindred 
against approaching calamity. In these cases, as it is 
believed that nothing is so acceptable to the poor soul 
as a few Pater Fosters and Ave Marias, they usually 
try to disembarrass themselves of the unwelcome 
visitor by reciting aloud several of these prayers, after 
crossing themselves twice with much devotion. When- 
ever this owl's dreaded cry is heard, it is certain to 



BIRDS OF ILL OMEN AND CARRION HAWKS. 



165 



be followed by a scene of great confusion and dismay : 
the children run to the women and hide behind their 
skirts ; the women seek protection from the men ; 
while these content themselves with muttering the 
holy invocation Ave Maria Purisima ! which is ever 
with them the favorite talisman against danger. 

Great varieties of goat-suckers — not unlike huge 
butterflies fluttering in the light evening breeze — also 
make their appearance at sundown, when may be 
heard their singularly harsh notes closely resembling 
human articulations. 

" The harmless, unoffending goat-sucker, from the 
time of Aristotle down to the present day " — says 
Waterton in his " Wanderings " — " has been in dis- 
grace with man. Father has handed down to son, 
and author to author, that this nocturnal thief subsists 
by milking the flocks. Poor injured little bird of 
night ! how sadly hast thou suffered, and how foul a 
stain has inattention to facts put upon thy character ! 
Thou hast never robbed man of any part of his prop- 
erty, nor deprived the kid of a drop of milk." 

" When the moon shines bright, you may have a 
fair opportunity of examining the goat-sucker. You 
will see it close by the cows, goats, and sheep, jump- 
ing up every now and then, under their bellies. Ap- 
proach a little nearer — he is not shy, 'he fears no 
danger for he knows no sin.'' See how the nocturnal 
flies are tormenting the herd, and with what dexter- 
ity he springs up and catches them as fast as they 
alight on the belly, legs and udcler of the animals. 
Observe how quiet they stand, and how sensible they 
seem of his good offices, for they neither strike at him, 



166 



WILD SCENES IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



nor hit him with their tails, nor tread on him, nor try- 
to drive him away as an uncivil intruder. "Were you 
to dissect him and inspect his stomach, you would 
find no milk there. It is full of the flies which have 
been annoying the herd. 

" The prettily mottled plumage of the goat-sucker, 
like that of the owl, wants the lustre which is observ- 
ed in the feathers of the birds of day. This, at once, 
marks him as a lover of the pale moon's nightly beams. 
There are nine species here " (in Demerara). " The 
largest appears nearly the size of the English wood- 
owl. Its cry is so remarkable, that having once heard 
it, yon will never forget it. "When night reigns over 
these immeasurable wilds, whilst lying in your ham- 
mock, you will hear this goat-sucker lamenting like 
one in deep distress. A stranger would never con- 
ceive it to be the cry of a bird. He would say it was 
the departing voice of a midnight murdered victim, 
or the last wailing of Mobe for her poor children, be- 
fore she was turned into stone. Suppose yourself in 
hopeless sorrow, begin with a high loud note, and pro- 
nounce, ' ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha,' each note lower 
and lower, till the last is scarcely heard, pausing a 
moment or two betwixt every note, and you will have 
some idea of the moaning of the largest goat-sucker in 
Demerara. 

" Four other species of the goat-sucker articulate 
some words so distinctly, that they have received their 
names from the sentences they utter, and absolutely 
bewilder the stranger on his arrival at these parts. 
The most common one sits down close by your door, 
and flies and alights three or four yards before you, as 



BIRDS OF ILL OMEN AND CARRION HAWKS. 1^7 

you walk along the road, crying, c Who are you, who, 
who, who are you ? ' Another bids you, 6 Work away, 
work, work, work away.' A third cries mournfully, 
4 Willy, come go, Willy, Willy, Willy come go.' And 
high up the country a fourth tells you ' Whip poor 
Will, whip, whip, whip poor Will.' " * 

There is a bird, however, among these nocturnal 
serenaders which impresses you with very different 
feelings from those produced by the owl species : this 
is the Gallineta cle monte or forest-hen, a most beau- 
tiful creature both in color and in shape, and not un- 
like a water-hen in general appearance : the eyes 
especially are peculiarly pretty, being of a brilliant 
ruby color and scintillate like fire. These birds sing 
in concert, and their song — a lively chatter — has a 
mystic fascination I am unable to describe. They 
are also considered delicate eating ; but unfortunately 
are very difficult to catch, for even after being shot, 
unless wounded in the leg, they can outstrip the swift- 
est hound, although their wings, being very small, 
avail them little. Nature, however, has provided 
them with long yellow legs for the purpose. 

The ponds and lagoons of the savannas are literally 
crowded with other individuals of the feathered tribe, 
whose lively notes and incessant chatterings contribute 
likewise to enliven the night. The most conspicuous 
among them are various species of teal-ducks, such as 
g aires and yaguasos, and a long-legged plover — alcar- 
avan. — This last has the peculiarity of uttering a long, 
shrill sound at hourly intervals, thus marking every 



* Wanderings in South America. 



168 



WILD SCENES IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



hour of the night after the manner of a clock's alarum. 
It is easily domesticated in the houses, where it ren- 
ders some service, not only by marking time, but also 
by giving warning of the approach of strangers. 

The aruco is another bird of large size, whose 
drum-like notes are often heard in the stillness of 
night. In size and plumage it greatly resembles a 
turkey ; but its flesh is so spongy, that in lifting one 
of these uncouth birds from the ground, it appears like 
a mere bundle of feathers. The wings of the male are 
provided with a pair of sharp spurs, with which, when 
fighting, they greatly injure one another. 

Another feature of the cattle-farm is the great num- 
ber of carrion vultures and other birds of prey con- 
stantly hovering around the houses and corrals, attract- 
ed thither by the carcasses of dead animals. The most 
conspicuous among them is the zamuro or gallmazo, 
(Cathartes Atratus,) that constant companion of rude 
civilization in all tropical countries, but an indolent, 
greedy and disgusting associate. As, however, they oc- 
casionally render service in the capacity of scavengers, 
they are generally tolerated among the fowl of the farm- 
yard. It is a gregarious bird, and collects in large 
flocks on the roof and fences, where, with knowing 
glances, they seem to be scanning all the actions of 
the inmates. I often amused myself in threatening 
them with a missile of some sort ; but they never ap- 
peared to notice it, until they perceived me to be in 
earnest : then with wings half spread and leaning for- 
ward, they watched intently the moment when I should 
hurl it at them to evade it by flight or a dodge of the 
head. — They build their nests in holes which they dig 



BIRDS OF ILL OMEN AND CARTtlON HAWKS. 1(59 

in the ground. Their young are white, gradually 
changing to black as they grow older, and only two 
are raised by the parent every year. Although essen- 
tially carrion feeders, the olfactories of these birds are 
not so sensitive as to discover for them a dead animal 
— as many suppose ;— but their sight is very good. 
They fly to immense heights, and thence examine every 
portion of the ground below them. In doing this they 
may often be observed on motionless wing, whirling 
round and round in graceful evolutions. 

With the zamuro is often associated another carrion 
vulture, the oripopo or turkey-buzzard, (Yultur aura,) 
of the same size and with similar habits to the former. 
It differs however, from its relative in color — which is 
dark brown — and in having its neck more destitute of 
feathers. It is also more elegant in form and in its 
graceful evolutions through the air than the black 
vulture. The turkey-buzzard has a wide geographical 
range, having been met by Audubon as far north as 
Pennsylvania, and by Darwin in the arid plains of 
Patagonia and Tierra del Fuego. When soaring 
through the upper regions of the air, it can be at once 
recognized by its long, sweeping flight, accompanied 
by a buzzing sound, much like the gust of the whirl- 
wind, and perfectly audible from a great distance. 

The Rey-Zamuro, or king of the vultures, (Yultur 
papa,) larger than the foregoing, is the most beautiful 
of its kind. Its plumage, resembling down in softness 
and fineness, is of a pearly white, excepting the wings, 
which are tipped with black. The breast and neck, 
although entirely bare of feathers, are decked in the 
most brilliant tint of blue, orange, and red, while a sort 
8 



170 WILD SCENES IN SOUTH AMERICA. 

of membranous excrescence crowns the head, giving 
it a truly royal appearance. 

This King of the vultures has also very aristocratic 
habits, never associating with any, not even those of 
his own tribe. It is a remarkable fact that when he 
alights upon a carcass, amidst a flock of other vultures, 
all these last retire, or make a circle round the ban- 
quet. When his majesty has dined, he flies off, utter- 
ing a loud cry, and only then his subjects venture to 
approach the carrion. 

There is in the more elevated part of the adjoining 
province of Barinas, another bird of the same class— 
Vultur barbatus — which partakes of the eagle and the 
vulture, but is larger than either. It is called in con- 
sequence gavilucho — eagle-hawk — and has been seen 
at times descending toward the plains. The legs and 
wings are very long and powerful. It is said to be 
very handsome, but it is extremely shy of man. The 
plumage is bluish, red, white and yellow. This 
bird joins to the boldness and cruelty of the eagle, the 
loathsome voracity of the vultures. It prefers live 
flesh, especially that of small quadrupeds, and preys 
principally upon rabbits, goats, sheep and even young 
calves. It raises only one brood in a season, and 
builds its nest amidst the most inaccessible ledges of 
the Cordilleras. 

I will close the list of the carrion birds of Vene- 
zuela with enumerating two others, nearly allied to 
the hawk, but partaking also of the characteristics of 
the eagle. These are the caricari and chiriguare 
(Polyborus Brasiliensis and P. Chimango) correspond- 
ing to the caracaras and cavrancha of Brazil and 



BIRDS OF ILL OMEN AND CARRION HAWKS. l£l 

Buenos Ayres, concerning which Darwin has given 
tl is graphic account : 

" The caracaras are from their structure placed 
among the eagles : we shall soon see how ill they be- 
come so high a rank. In their habits they will supply 
the place of our carrion crows, magpies and ravens, a 
tribe of birds widely distributed over the rest of the 
world, but entirely absent in South America. 

" The carranchas, together with the chimango, 
constantly attend in numbers the estancias and 
slaughtering-houses. If an animal dies on the plain, 
the gallinazo commences the feast, and then the two 
species of Polyborus pick the bones clean. These 
birds, although thus commonly feeding together, are 
far from being friendly. When the carrancha is 
quietly seated on the branch of a tree or on the 
ground, the chimango often continues for a long time 
flying backward and forward, up and down, in a 
semicircle, trying each time at the bottom of the 
curve to strike its larger relative. Although the 
carranchas frequently assemble in numbers, they are 
not gregarious ; for in desert places they may be seen 
solitary, or more commonly in pairs. 

" The carranchas are said to be very crafty, and 
to steal great numbers of eggs. They attempt, also, 
together with the chimango, to pick off the scabs 
from the sore backs of horses and mules. The poor 
animal', on the one hand, with its ears down and its 
back arched, and, on the other hand, the hovering 
bird, eyeing at the distance of a yard the disgusting 
morsel, form a picture, which has been described by 
Captain Head with his own peculiar spirit and ac- 



172 



WILD SCENES IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



curacy. These false eagles rarely kill any living bird 
or animal ; and their vulture-like, necrophagous 
habits are very evident to any one who has fallen 
asleep on the desolate plains of Patagonia, for when 
he wakes he will see, on each surrounding hillock, 
one of these birds patiently watching him with an 
evil eye ; it is a feature in the landscape of these 
countries, which will be recognized by every one who 
has wandered over them. If a party of men go out 
hunting with 'dogs and horses, they will be accom- 
panied during the day by several of these attendants. 
After feeding, the uncovered craw protrudes ; at 
such times, and indeed, generally, the carrancha is an 
inactive, tame, and cowardly bird. Its flight is heavy 
and slow, like that of an English rook. It seldom soars ; 
but I have twice seen one at a great height gliding 
through the air with great ease. It runs, (in contra- 
distinction to hopping,) but not quite so quickly as 
some of its congeners. At times the carrancha is 
noisy, but is not generally so ; its cry is loud, very 
harsh and peculiar, and may be likened to the sound 
of the Spanish guttural g, followed by a rough double 
r r ; when uttering this cry, it elevates its head higher 
and higher, till at last, with its beak wide open, the 
crown almost touches the lower part of the head. 
This fact, which has been doubted, is quite true." 

These birds are, however, a great blessing to the 
inhabitants of the Llanos, who are indebted to them, 
not only for the destruction of vast numbers of snakes 
and other reptiles, but for the service they render 
conjointly with the vultures in consuming the offal 
near houses. They seek their food both in dry lands 



BIRDS OF ILL OMEN AND CARRION HAWKS. 173 

and amidst the swampy borders of rivers ; on the one 
they find serpents and lizards in abundance ; in the 
other terrapins, frogs and small crocodiles. They 
are peculiar in always killing their prey before com- 
mencing to devour it. If the caricari meet with a 
serpent or young crocodile large enough to oppose a 
long resistance, he approaches it sideways, shielded 
by one of his wings spread out, and striking his prey 
near the head with his bill, retires to a short distance 
to watch the result. A second blow is usually fatal, 
upon which, seizing his victim in his claws, he tears 
it with his bill. The sluggish tortoises and terrapins 
are easy prey for the caricari / these he renders help- 
less by turning them upon their backs, then with his 
powerful bill tears out the entrails. 

Singing birds are of great numbers and varieties 
in the Llanos ; these are mostly of the oriole species, 
all of which seem to delight in the vicinity of man. 
They usually select some tree near the house, and 
from its slender topmost branches, weave their hang- 
ing nests beyond reach of mischievous boys and mon- 
keys. One of these songsters, the gonzal, had his 
nest close by the ropes of my hammock, where every 
morning before sunrise he awakened me by his sweetly 
plaintive notes ; and so fascinated was I by this charm- 
ing neighbor, that I always remained long after the 
reveille, listening to his delicious music. 

There is another closely allied species, far superior 
to this or any other bird of the kind with which I am 
acquainted. It is the troupial, whose powerful notes 
can only be likened to strains of the violin. It is 
easily domesticated in houses, and learns readily any 



174 



WILD SCENES IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



air from hearing it whistled. I have one of these 
birds at home (in New York) which sings the Ca- 
chuca, Yankee Doodle, and various other tunes, be- 
sides distinctly whistling the name of a person. Its 
predominant colors are rich orange and shining black, 
with white spots on the wings and bill in beautiful 
contrast. It is a dangerous pet, however, if at large 
in a house, attacking strangers furiously, and always 
aiming at the eyes. 

The arrendajo, or mocking-oriole, is perhaps the 
most extraordinary of its kind, on account of its imi- 
tative proclivities, mimicking every sound with such 
exactness, that he goes by the name of mocking-bird 
among the colonists of Demerara ; according to 
"Waterton, " His own song is sweet, but very short. 
If a toucan be yelping in the neighborhood, he drops 
it, and imitates him. Then he will amuse his pro- 
tector with the cries of the different species of wood- 
pecker, and when the sheep bleat he will distinctly 
answer them. Then comes his own song again ; and 
if a puppy dog or a guinea fowl interrupt him, he 
takes them off admirably, and by his different ges- 
tures during the time, you would conclude that he 
enjoys the sport." 

The arrendajo is, besides, a beautiful bird, and 
considered by ornithologists a model of symmetry ; 
his predominant color is a glossy black, with the ex- 
ception of his belly, rump and half the tail, which 
are of a bright yellow. On each wing also he has a 
spot of the same color. His beak is tinged of a deli- 
cate shade of lemon, while his eyes are sky blue, the 
pupil being a deeper shade of the same. 



CHAPTER XIIL 



THE RODEO. 

"We had long been impatiently awaiting the com- 
mand for a general turnout and chase among the 
legions of wild cattle grazing in the far horizon ; and 
when at , length the day was appointed for a rodeo or 
grand hunt, the universal gratification was boundless. 

It is customary in all large cattle farms to assem- 
ble from time to time the cattle of certain districts for 
the purpose of selecting those which require branding 
and marking, and also to allow the neighboring farm- 
ers to separate from the herds many stray animals 
belonging to them, which, from the open nature of 
the plains, it is impossible to keep within the boun- 
daries of their own savannas. This operation cannot 
be accomplished without a great number of able and 
expert riders, who, on a given day, surround a large 
area of country and drive toward one centre all the 
cattle that may be found within the selected space. 
An extended circle or ring is thus formed, enclosing 
a great horde of wild animals ; these are kept in check 



176 



WILD SCENES IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



by the well-concerted evolutions of the vaqueros until 
the appointed rendezvous is reached, where, after 
allowing the cattle to cool down, the different brands 
are selected ; hence the name of rodeo^ from rodear, 
to surround. 

The object on this occasion was not only to sepa- 
rate all the calves that required branding, but also to 
collect a large drove of oxen, so as to furnish our ex- 
tensive potreros of San Pablo de Paya with market- 
able beeves. 

Our first foray against the horned tenants of the 
wilderness would thus assume an importance seldom 
witnessed in that retired corner of the republic ; as 
also in addition to our own force, we counted upon 
the assistance of the vaqueros from the neighboring 
cattle farms of Caucagua, La Yagua, and others bor- 
dering these savannas. Due notice was accordingly 
sent to the respective owners of those estates to mus- 
ter on a certain day all their forces upon the field. 

The area selected for the hunt embraced at least 
fifteen miles d la ronde. The hunters, in squads of 
six or eight, proceeded on the afternoon of the day 
before the hunt to their stations at various points of 
the savanna, having instructions to start at early 
dawn for the appointed centre. We of the staff made 
a simultaneous move from the house, driving before 
us, without distinction, all the animals we encoun- 
tered on the route. The cattle being so unexpectedly 
roused from their slumbers, naturally endeavored to 
fly from their pursuers. Soon, however, meeting 
those from opposite directions, they whirled in mad 
despair, vainly endeavoring to break through the ex- 



THE RODEO. 



177 



tended line of horsemen, who were constantly gallop- 
ing about the struggling mass with shouts and thrusts 
from their steel-pointed garrochas. 

At the commencement it was a truly interesting 
sight to watch the many groups of cattle, deer, wild 
boars, dogs, foxes, and other wild quadrupeds coming 
in from all directions as if impelled by one common 
instinct ; but no sooner did that living ring commence 
closing upon them, than, scared by the confusion and 
uproar of the scene, their terror quickly grew to 
frenzy, and they ran from side to side bellowing, 
grunting, howling as they went. Solely intent upon 
the danger that menaced them, the mother forgot her 
offspring, and listened no more to their painful lamen- 
tations ; the lover abandoned his beloved, seeking 
only his own safety in disgraceful night ; and even the 
fierce bull, forgetting for a moment that he is sover- 
eign of those realms, lost his natural spirit of brave 
defiance, and rushed blindly off in the train of the 
frightened multitude. As if to increase the grandeur 
of the spectacle, a garzero, which had established 
itself on the borders of a creek hard by, also caught 
the alarm, and at our approach flew up in the air 
with a tremendous crashing of wing and bill, leaving 
their young to care for themselves, and with their 
discordant and piercing cries to swell the uproar of 
the scene. It is impossible to convey an adequate 
idea of this vast multitude of frightened cranes and 
herons of all sorts which fluttered overhead at that 
moment ; so great was their number that they spread 
over an extent of several miles, and actually for a 
time cast a deep shadow over the landscape. 
8* 



178 



WILD SCENES IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



Not less than eight or ten thousand head of cattle 
were brought within the ring formed of more than a 
hundred horsemen, who, in preventing the escape of 
the animals, were compelled to expose themselves and 
their noble steeds to the vindictiveness of the bulls, 
which were constantly rushing upon the lines in their 
endeavors to regain the open prairie. Whenever this 
was attempted, a horseman galloped boldly upon the 
fugitive, and by interposing himself between the open 
field and the bull, forced the latter back to the herd. 
Wonderfully adroit were the herdsmen in their avoid- 
ance of the repeated strokes aimed at them by the 
bulls, even when it appeared impossible to escape 
being caught between the animal's horns. The gar- 
rocha played an important part in repelling these at- 
tacks. This instrument, only second in importance 
to the lazo when in the hands of expert riders, is 
made of the slender, yet tough stem, of the alvarico 
palm, (aenocarpus cubarro,) by merely sharpening the 
top end to a point, or surmounting it with an iron 
head, around which a number of loose rings of the 
same metal are affixed ; these, when shaken close 
to the animal's ear, frighten him olf with the rattling 
sound they produce. The shaft of the goad is fully 
ten feet long, and although not thicker than a walk- 
ing-stick, can bear an immense amount of pressure 
without breaking. As a weapon of aggression, this 
slender palm stem has become justly celebrated 
throughout the country, from the fact of having sup- 
plied the primitive bands of patriots who first dared 
to oppose the tyrannical rule of Spain with ready- 
made lances in the wilderness. The manner in which 



THE RODEO. 



179 



Llaneros make use of the garrocha is quite extra- 
ordinary. When in pursuit of a bull which they pur- 
pose turning back to the rodeo, if the animal be 
swifter than the horse, the rider always manages to 
reach him with the point of his spear. This he 
thrusts into the bull's hide, just above the shoulder- 
blade, and then leans forward and rests the whole 
weight of his body upon the shaft, assisted in it by 
his intelligent charger. The equilibrium of the bull 
is thus usually destroyed, and he rolls headlong upon 
the ground. These falls are often sufficient to pre- 
vent further attempts at escape, in which case the 
bull is easily led into the rodeo. This performance, 
however, is one of the most dangerous practised 
among Llaneros, and is undertaken only by the most 
skilful and experienced riders, as, should the spear 
glance off while the hunter is leaning upon it, or 
should he happen to overturn the bull in front of his 
horse, he will in either case receive a terrific fall, and 
in the latter event, probably come into collision with 
the fallen animal. 

From the midst, and above all the heads of that 
tumultuous assemblage of wild animals, rose the 
shaggy frontlet of a black bull, whose martial air and 
fearless step seemed to proclaim him the patriarch of 
the herd. An experienced Llanero, intently watching 
all his movements from afar, observed to those near 
him, that they would soon have fresh sport ; and that 
" if any one prized the skin of his horse, he would do 
well to look to his spurs ; " meaning that the black 
bull evidently intended mischief. Mr. Thomas, who 
was busily sketching the novel scene before him, un- 



180 WILD SCENES IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



accustomed to the jargon of the Llanos, did not un- 
derstand this remark, and therefore quietly continued 
his occupation. The next moment the bull was in 
our midst, charging first upon Captain Yalor, one of 
the best riders on the field, who, in spite of his name, 
hastily spurred his steed out of reach ; but the bull 
still pursuing, charged again and again upon him, 
and doubtless the last attempt would have been fatal 
to either horse or cavalier, had not the bull been 
checked in his final onset by accidentally plunging 
one of his legs into the hole of an armadillo, which 
fortunate circumstance gave the captain time to dis- 
tance his pursuer. The bull next sought to vent his 
rage on the incautious artist, who, one leg crossed 
over the neck of his horse as support for his sketch- 
book, sat evidently absorbed in contemplation of the 
powerful and daring brute, with whose ferocious 
nature he was totally unacquainted. Having never 
before attended sports of the kind, my friend paid 
little regard to the menacing attitude of the animal, 
who rushed upon him with a fearful bellow that made 
us tremble for his fate. But for some unaccountable 
reason, the bull after one or two ineffectual attempts 
to strike his intended victim, wheeled about and dis- 
appeared among the tangled jungle bordering the 
creek, apparently indignant at the nonchalance with 
which John Bull received the advances of his name- 
sake. Fearing the recurrence of similar attacks, 
which might have a less fortunate termination, it was 
decided to disembarrass ourselves of so uncomfort- 
able a neighbor ; with this object, the requisite number 
of horsemen provided with lazos were sent to capture 



THE RODEO. 



181 



and subdue him. Instead of seeking safety in precip- 
itate flight, as is generally the case with wild bulls, 
this one unflinchingly stood his ground, and neither 
shouts nor menaces could induce him to abandon the 
threatening attitude he had assumed. It was indeed 
a splendid sight to behold that proud monarch of the 
horned tribe bidding defiance to all about him, his 
huge and shaggy head, surmounted by a pair of 
pointed, powerful horns, high in air, and with an ex- 
pression of countenance that was almost diabolical. 
His savage upper lip looked as if curled in contempt 
of his antagonists, and his eyes gleamed with fury in 
the light of the morning sun. Occasionally with his 
fore feet he ploughed up the earth, which, falling in 
showers upon him, he swept from his sides with his 
tail, uttering all the while a sort of suppressed roar 
resembling distant thunder. Then came the furious 
charge, when every one was compelled to run for his 
life, as nothing could arrest his headlong course. 
Blinded with rage, he spared not even those of his 
own species, killing two heifers instantly, and wound- 
ing a bull so severely that he died shortly after- 
ward. Each time the men whirled the lazo to 
throw it over his head, he dashed forward with such 
rapidity as to disconcert their aim, until, finally, a 
bold and agile sambo, Sarmiento by name, who acted 
as caporal, and of whom we shall say more hereafter, 
dismounting from his horse and seizing the red blan- 
ket from his saddle, prepared to face the bull without 
the encumbrance of the lazo. His intention was to 
bewilder or tor ear him by a succession of such feats 
of agility as are usually practised by matadors in bull 



182 



WILD SCENES IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



fights ; and so successful waB he, that in one of the 
animal's furious charges, he succeeded in grasping 
and holding his tail ; and in spite of the efforts the 
bull made to strike him with his horns, Sarmiento 
followed his movements so closely, that by a dexter- 
ous twist of the tail he succeeded in overthrowing the 
brute upon his side ; he then drew the tail between 
the hind legs, and as this completely deprives the 
animal of all power of rising, he was enabled to hold 
him until others came to his assistance. Then, to 
prevent further mischief, the men proceeded to saw 
off the tops of his horns and to perform upon him 
other usual operations. These precautions, however, 
proved quite unnecessary, as the bull, exhausted by 
rage and loss of blood, shortly afterward dropped 
upon the ground and expired. 

In spite of the vigilance and constant efforts of the 
men to keep the animals within the rodeo, several 
other bulls managed to break through the ranks. The 
only method of bringing them back was by using 
the all-potent lazo, and two men, one of them thus 
equipped, were despatched after the fugitive, which 
on being noosed, was by the second man speedily 
thrown upon his side by means of that dangerous ap- 
pendage, the tail, in the management of which the 
Llaneros of Venezuela are so famous. This accom- 
plished, they pierced the thick cartilage which divides 
the nostrils with the point of a dagger ; one end of 
the thong was then passed through the wound, while 
the other remained fastened to the horse's tail ; the 
Llanero, then mounting his steed, jerked the end at- 
tached to the bull, which brought the prostrate beast 



THE RODEO. 



183 



at once to his feet, when he was marched off to his 
destination without further trouble, literally led by 
the nose. 

Another method of arresting a bull in his flight, 
is by a bold manoeuvre termed colear, and which con- 
sists, as already stated, in availing themselves of the 
animal's tail to overthrow him when at full speed ; 
but that is not easy of accomplishment, as the bull 
has then such entire freedom of movement. The 
horse also must be perfectly well trained to these 
hazardous undertakings, and should obey instantly 
the slightest pull of the bit ; for if the bull turns sud- 
denly upon his pursuer, the chances are ten to one 
that the horse will be severely wounded. The rider 
first gallops close to the rear of the bull, and seizing 
his tail with one hand, gives it a turn or two around 
his wrist to prevent its slipping. When thus pre- 
pared, he urges his horse forward, until the heads of 
the two animals are on a " dead-heat ; " then quickly 
turning in an oblique direction, and exerting all his 
strength, he pulls the bull toward him, and does not 
relinquish his hold until he perceives that the enemy 
is tottering, when he is easily overthrown from the 
great impetus imparted by their rapid pace. Some 
men are so dexterous that they can colear with both 
hands at the same time; which necessarily gives greater 
power over the bull, enabling the rider to bring him 
down much more readily. The horse, in this case, 
left to his own well-taught guidance, assists the man- 
oeuvres of his rider, pushing forward at the instant he 
perceives that his master is prepared for the pull, and 
turning about also at the right moment. How won- 



184 



WILD SCENES IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



derful the instinct of these noble creatures ! that 
teaches them so readily the importance of the slight- 
est movement, on which often depends, not only the 
success of the enterprise, but their own safety, as 
well as that of their masters. If too powerful resist- 
ance is offered at the outset by the bull, as is some- 
times the case, the rider still clings to the tail of his 
adversary, and throwing himself off his horse while 
at full speed, the impetus combined with his weight 
and strength never fail in bringing the bull like a 
fallen giant to the ground ; then the man quickly 
drawing the tail between the hind legs, awaits the 
arrival of his companions to assist in securing the 
prize. 

It was often matter of surprise to me in what 
manner the Llaneros, notwithstanding the thorough 
training of the horses, contrived their speedy ap- 
proach to the rear of the bulls, as these were usually 
considerably ahead at the start. On one occasion, I 
was regretting that my pony was too small to keep 
pace with the hunters, when one of the men, who was 
mounted on a prototype of Rosinante — on which, 
nevertheless, he had performed prodigies of strength 
— turned to me and said, " Vaya, nino, let me show 
you that this is not the fault of the horse, but that of 
the rider ;" whereupon we exchanged horses, and off 
he went after a powerful bull just escaped. Not 
many minutes expired before I lost sight of horse and 
rider in a cloud of dust raised by the beast in its fall. 

Some hours expired before the tremendous excite- 
ment and confusion of the wild melee described above 
had sufficiently subsided to render the forms of men 



THE RODEO. 185 

and cattle visible through the clouds of dust and ashes 
raised by the trampling of so many animals. The 
grass, at this period parched by the sun and reduced 
to ashes in various places by the usual conflagrations, 
mingled with the dust and rose in dense columns, 
which from afar might have been mistaken for the 
dreaded monsoon. 

In the mean while the distracted mothers ran from 
side to side, lowing piteously for their missing 
young. Here and there fierce duellos among rival 
bulls took place for the possession of some shaggy one 
of the softer sex. Butting their huge fronts together, 
and goring each other with their sharp-pointed horns, 
they fought with the courage and skill of accomplished 
gladiators, tearing up the earth in wild fury, and fill- 
ing the air with their deep, savage bellowings. A 
crowd of admirers from amidst the herd formed a 
circle around the combatants, and if any from among 
their number evinced the least disposition to interfere, 
he was immediately chased away by the others, so 
that there might be fair play while the fight lasted. 
Often these encounters proved fatal to one of the bel- 
ligerents, as neither will yield the palm without a 
desperate resistance. 

The bellowing of thousands of animals, with the 
yells and deafening shouts of the men galloping 
about the plain, waving their ponchos and rattling 
their garrochas, combined to give the scene more the 
appearance of a fiendish melodrama, than a purely 
pastoral assemblage of men and cattle. 

The confusion having at length subsided, four 
of the ablest horsemen, penetrating the living mass, 



186 



WILD SCENES IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



which, as they advanced, surged on either side like 
the waves of the sea, commenced the difficult task of 
separating the animals intended for the brand, and 
those belonging to our neighbors. This occasioned 
another series of evolutions, which only men trained 
to such exercises could have accomplished success- 
fully. 

It is usual in all cattle-farms to cut a notch, or two 
in the animal's ear at the time they are branded, for 
the purpose of recognizing them more readily from a 
distance, a precaution which, is particularly serviceable 
on occasions like that just described, it being impossi- 
ble to read the brand when the creatures are crowded 
into a herd. Although most of the calves had not 
the notch, they belong by right to the owner of the 
mother, even if they are found on the lands of another 
party. Of it the vaqueros availed themselves in 
their subsequent apportioning of the different lots of 
cattle. This they accomplished in the most expedi- 
tious manner by riding boldly at the animals in ques- 
tion, hastening or checking their progress through the 
herd as the case required. Thus by repeated evolu- 
tions of the sort, they finally brought the animals to 
the edge of the ring, where an opening was purposely 
left for their escape, aud then the nearest horseman 
drove them in among a small body of tame cattle sta- 
tioned a short distance from the rodeo. These violent 
manceuvrings could not be accomplished, however, 
without endangering at every step the security of the 
entire herd. Each time the drivers turned out an 
animal the whole mass was thrown into the utmost 
confusion, and it required the most consummate skill 



THE RODEO. 



187 



on the part of the men to prevent the entire disper- 
sion of the cattle. The fearlessness with which the 
drivers plunged into that labyrinth of savage, panting 
brutes, advancing close upon the wall of bristling 
horns which barred their progress, and boldly driving 
the infuriated creatures before them like a pack of 
sheep, was truly worthy of admiration. The readiness 
with which they detected at a distance the mark on the 
animal's ears was also no less noticeable, singling out 
such at a glance, and immediately driving them away 
to their respective groups. When all the brands had 
thus been apportioned, each owner proceeded to drive 
away his own herd. We found in these cases — as in- 
deed in all similar ones — the assistance of madrineros 
or trained oxen, of great service in driving a large 
body of cattle across the plains. A dozen of these 
oxen were sufficient to lead a vast drove, stopping or 
advancing at a signal from the overseer, while the 
vaqueros kept close watch on rear and flank to pre- 
vent escape and to urge on the cattle, especially the 
crowd of stray calves — some of them only a few hours 
old — which, like a procession of lost children, kept up 
a continual bewailing for their mothers as if the last 
ray of hope had departed from them. Although 
their case was indeed a hard one, and the task of driv- 
ing them over the rough ground still harder, we were 
unwilling to leave them behind, hoping to find their 
mammas among the multitude before us. When within 
a short distance from the house, we halted to make 
preparations for the enclosure of the herds. But one 
of the most dangerous parts of the proceedings yet re- 
mained, that of forcing the cattle into the corrals. 



188 



WILD SCENES IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



The entrance to the majada — shaped like a great 
funnel — was, like the rest of the fences, made of very 
strong posts, driven into the ground and barred across 
at intervals with thick rafters of bamboo. Through 
this funnel, or manga, the cattle in small lots were 
driven at full speed headed by the madrineros — those 
treacherous guides trained to ensnare their kindred — 
while the horsemen barricaded the mouth of the fun- 
nel with the breasts of the poor horses. Every thing 
proceeded satisfactorily as far as the end of the funnel, 
the madrineros, with all the cunning of semi-civilized 
brutes, redoubling their pace at the moment of enter- 
ing the great enclosure. Then their wild brethren, 
perceiving the treachery, turned upon their captors, 
and a most fearful struggle ensued. The bulls, in 
spite of the deafening shouts of the men, and the for- 
midable array of garrochas levelled at their heads, en- 
deavored to force their way back to the open plain, 
and many of them actually succeeded in breaking 
through the barricade of horses. Thus many noble 
steeds, which until then had escaped unhurt, met with 
an inglorious death. That most of the men escaped 
unhurt, appeared little less than miraculous, as not 
only were they also exposed at every moment to the 
vindictive attacks of the bulls, but it often happened 
that some of them were unhorsed, when they were in 
imminent danger of being trampled by the retreating 
foe. The superior skill and intrepidity of man, how- 
ever, triumphed at length over mere brute resistance, 
and the whole herd was in a short time securely quar- 
tered in the majada. 



CHAPTER XIV. 



BRANDING SCENES. 

" Entre tanto en ancha hoguera 
Como encendido tizon, 
Ya la marca centellea 
Con ehispas de azul punzo.'" 

Ventcka de la Vega. 

It was late in the evening when we partook of our 
only meal that day, and we afterward retired to rest, 
but not to sleep, owing to the incessant noise made 
by the cattle in the corrals, who, during the whole 
night, were rushing to and fro as if goaded by demons. 
Sometimes we feared that the fences would give way 
before their mad onset, while the dust rose in suffo- 
cating clouds, filling the atmosphere and mingling 
with our food, which was thus rendered almost unfit 
for use. The bellowing, roaring, and moaning of the 
herd could only be likened to the wild confusion of a 
battle-field. Many of the savage bulls in their fury 
turned their horns, sharp as bayonets, against their 
own kindred. The proud padrote, his dusky mate, 
and the tender heifer shared alike in the slaughter. 
The next day numbers lay gored to death in the dust 



190 



WILD SCENES IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



of the corrals, while others presented ghastly wounds. 
Soon the carcasses began to putrefy, which, added to 
the particles of dust floating through the air we 
breathed, rendered the atmosphere intolerable. Many 
more of the cattle died of suffocation, and others from 
an infectious disease induced by the crowded state of 
the herd and the noxious exhalations from the car- 
casses. We therefore lost no time in branding them 
that they might be set free, lest the infection should 
extend to the whole herd. 

Animals affected in this manner exhibit no symp- 
toms of the disease until immediately prior to their 
demise, when they are observed to stagger a few 
paces and drop suddenly, as if shot by a rifle ball; 
and yet the vultures seem to possess an intuitive 
knowledge of this approaching dissolution, in proof 
whereof, numbers of these feathery satellites of death 
can be seen hovering around an animal which the 
scourge has doomed, although it is apparently still in 
perfect health. The infection, fortunately, is confined 
to the horned cattle, no instance of its transmission to 
other creatures occurring, except in the case of men 
venturing to skin the carcasses, when it assumes a dif- 
ferent form. Persons who have thus exposed them- 
selves are seized with a horrible swelling of the neck, 
commencing with a pimple not larger than a pin's 
head, and gradually increasing in size until it extends 
to the cerebellum. Death is the inevitable result if the 
patient is not promptly attended by a skilful physi- 
cian. There were two or three cases of the kind 
among our own people, but by careful treatment we 
were fortunate enough to save them. There are, how- 



BRANDING SCENES. 



191 



ever, every year many poor fellows in that improvi- 
dent region, who, not having the same advantages, are 
often carried away by the distemper. 

The branding of cattle, as conducted in extensive 
establishments, is a real festival for the sport-loving 
people of the Llanos ; and each one feels himself as 
deeply interested therein as though assisting at a 
grand bull fight — the time-honored amusement of the 
descendants of Pelayo, the Cid, and other worthies of 
like celebrity ; and indeed the former, or hierra, as 
that wild pageant is termed, with all its incidents and 
dangers, all its noise and bustle, is perhaps the grand- 
est spectacle of the kind that could be devised for the 
entertainment and training of that chivalric race. 
It is undoubtedly one of the wildest scenes ever be- 
held in the pampas, and one which afforded me ex- 
ceeding pleasure from the variety of incident accom- 
panying it. The majada is, in fact, the school in 
which from infancy the Llanero is trained to conquer 
or to die in daily struggles with the brute creation. 
It is a veritable Olympic Circus, where the agility 
and strength for which he is famed are displayed 
during the exciting operations performed upon the 
savage denizens of the savannas, branding and mark- 
ing the calves, sawing off the horns of furious bulls 
and converting them into oxen for the improvement 
of their flesh and disposition. 

On the day appointed, all animals confined in the 
majada are driven into the corralejas or smaller cor- 
rals adjoining the great enclosure, and there packed 
as closely as possible to prevent the bulls, always 
ready to strike, from doing much mischief among 



192 WILD SCENES IN SOUTH AMERICA. 

their own kindred. Meantime the men prepare 
their lazos and station themselves according to their 
respective strength and ability, while the boys kindle 
a blazing fire in a safe corner of the majada, in which 
the various brands to be used are kept at a red heat. 
These brands generally represent the initials of the 
owner, or some sort of hieroglyphic stamp affixed to 
the end of a long handle. A record of these is kept 
by the Justice of the Peace in each district ; and it is 
considered a great crime to alter or in any unauthor- 
ized manner efface their impression from the skin of 
animals. The cattle are usually branded on the 
haunches ; but whenever a horse, mule, or mare is 
sold, the brand in a reversed position is again affixed, 
this time on its shoulder, followed by the buyer's 
brand, the same operation being repeated whenever 
the animal changes hands, so that some poor beasts 
come at last to be quite disfigured with deep scars. 

"When all is ready for the fray, the majordomo, 
climbing to the highest post of the enclosure, from 
whence he directs operations, gives the signal. Here 
he keeps an account of the calves branded, by notch- 
ing a long strip of raw hide. A number of these 
strips, called tarja or tally, are carefully preserved in 
every cattle farm as a record to be laid before the 
owner at the year's end in lieu of balance-sheet. 

The principal business of the day being that of 
branding the calves collected at the rodeo, two or 
three men armed with lazos, fearlessly enter the 
pens at peril of life and limb — for the mothers are 
ever ready to defend their young — and proceed to 
drag the calves out singly by means of the lazo, 



BRANDING SCENES. 



193 



though not without many obstinate struggles on their 
part, and the more formidable resistance of their par- 
ents, which are kept back at the point of the gar- 
rocjia by men stationed on the fences. The contest, 
however, is not of very long duration ; the calf nearly 
choked by the lazo, and tormented by a cruel twisting 
of his tail, springs forward toward the branding 
place. The moment he passes the threshold, one or 
two little imps pounce upon the tail, jerking it until 
they succeed in throwing him down ; the lazo is then 
quickly removed, and the captor hurries back to the 
pen for another calf. When a number have been 
thus secured, a man goes round with the brand, and 
in a very short time the whole lot are stamped 
with the burning seal of the estate amidst the pit- 
eous bellowings and ineffectual kicks of the helpless 
creatures. 

These operations, although performed on young 
animals, are not so easily accomplished as might be 
supposed ; it being not unusual for full-grown ones to 
spring over the fences, or force their way through the 
narrow gate of their pen. At such times, the opera- 
tors outside aie in imminent danger of being assailed 
by the fugitives, if the latter are not promptly se- 
cured by men stationed for the purpose at the gate of 
the corralejas. It becomes a much more serious busi- 
ness when a powerful bull is lazoed. He not only re- 
fuses obstinately to be dragged out like a calf, but re- 
quires the combined force and skill of all the men to 
compel him from the pen, although the gate is pur- 
posely left wide open. In such cases a picador, 
climbing to the top of the fence, endeavors to drive 

9 



194 



WILD SCENES IS SOUTH AMERICA. 



out the animal by repeated thrusts of the goad ; that 
also failing, another lets himself down close to the 
bull's tail, which he twists violently, and this seldom 
fails to drive the refractory creature madly out, fol- 
lowed by the shouts and huzzas of his cruel torment- 
ors. The next proceeding is to throw him for the 
purpose of regaining the lazo, and for the performance 
of the above-mentioned operations. This, however, is 
no easy matter, from the frantic plunges of the bull, 
who has the entire range of the lazo. The only cer- 
tain method is that of dragging him close upon a 
post — botalon — driven into the ground, where his over- 
throw is finally accomplished by the united efforts of 
several men, one grappling his hind legs, another 
seizing the tail, while two others keep a steady hold 
of the thong, until the animal, at last exhausted, drops 
heavily to the ground. 

To justly appreciate scenes like these, one must 
himself behold the dusky athlete battling single- 
handed with a bull just escaping from the corral. 
Seizing him by a horn with one hand, the Llanero 
still holding it watches his opportunity until he can 
grasp with the other the animal's tail. The bull is 
then allowed to run as fast as he will, as the greater 
his speed the more easily his downfall is accomplished. 
If the bull moves too slowly, a few impressive jerks 
generally accelerate his speed ; but occasionally he 
returns the compliment by turning fiercely upon his 
tail-bearer, who, if not very nimble, risks being gored 
to death ; yet his skilful antagonist, not only usually 
succeeds in evading his attack, but speedily contrives 
to throw him. Xo sooner does this occur, than the 



BRANDING SCENES. 



195 



vanquished one is surrounded by a host of merry yell- 
ing vagabonds, one brandishing a huge knife, which 
he sharpens on the horns previous to performing the 
operation which transforms the animal into an ox, 
and if not previously marked, cuts his ear according 
to the rule of the estate whose property he is ; another 
holds a red-hot brand, which he implants at once 
upon the quivering hide ; while a third with a small 
hand-saw cuts off the sharp points of the horns. The 
whole operation scarcely occupies three minutes' time ; 
but notwithstanding this, the danger is very great if 
the bull succeed in regaining his feet before it is fin- 
ished, as, instead of being subdued, no sooner is he 
free, than he turns upon his assailants in renewed 
fury, and then those valiant heroes may be seen scat- 
tering about the arena like a flock of partridges. 
With nostrils widely distended, and foaming at the 
mouth, the bull for an instant stands an embodiment 
of rage and terror, endeavoring to discover the objects 
of his vengeance. Xone, however, are presumptuous 
enough to await his onset ; they would be levelled 
with the dust in an instant, and his conquerors there- 
fore adopt the wiser policy of a speedy retreat to the 
highest fence, whence they pour a volley of abuse 
upon his shaggy head. 

Occasionally, while the men were engaged with 
one bull, several others effected their escape in spite 
of the men whose business it was to prevent it. The 
situation of the others then became critical in the ex- 
treme, being exposed to the attacks of the fugitives 
on the one hand, and to those of the prisoner on the 
other ; this last they were often compelled to abandon 



196 WILD SCENES IN SOUTH AMERICA. 

in the midst of their labors. Those who held younger 
animals formed with their bodies a sort of barricade 
with which to fend off the aggressor, when no other 
expedient could be resorted to. At times it appeared 
almost impossible to escape the impetuous charge of 
the bulls, especially when the men were some distance 
from the fences ; the only remaining means of safety 
then consisted in throwing themselves flat upon the 
ground at the moment the bull aimed a stroke, as in 
that case the animal invariably jumped over their 
bodies. It is asserted that bulls in charging always 
close their eyes, thus missing in blind precipitancy 
many excellent opportunities for avenging the out- 
rages perpetrated on their race. Not so the cows, 
who are said to keep their eyes fully open when they 
are bent on mischief, seldom if ever turning from their 
intended victim without leaving some mark, of either 
horn or hoof, in token of displeasure. 

On one occasion our leader himself very narrowly 
escaped from one of these infuriate feminalities in 
spite of his ability in dealing with wild cattle, and his 
* dexterity in avoiding their attacks. We had just en- 
tered the majada, and were making preparations for 
the coming frolic. "We stood under the shade of a 
splendid matapalo or wild fig-tree growing within 
the great enclosure, when a cow, which had left her 
young behind while chased in the savanna, feeling 
rather uneasy in consequence, cleared the fence of the 
pen wherein she was confined, and the next moment 
was among us. All retreated to the fences, excepting 
our leader, who, ever rather sensitive about turning 
his back upon an enemy, stood his ground somewhat 



BRANDING SCENES. 



197 



protected by the stout body of the tree. The cow at 
first appeared to pay but little attention to him, mak- 
ing straight for the gate of the majada, which she, 
unfortunately, found strongly barred against her 
escape. Then retracing her steps, she sought to 
avenge her evident disappointment upon the gentle- 
man in white, whom she very well recollected having 
left at the foot of the old matapalo. Still the un- 
daunted soldier, although repeatedly urged by his 
men to fly, scorned the idea of seeking the talan- 
quera, or, in other words, climbing the fence in a 
hurry, thinking at first to avoid the enemy by step- 
ping round and round the tree ; but the cow was too 
cunning to be cheated in this manner. After thus 
chasing him in vain for a few minutes, she suddenly 
changed her course, seeking him in the opposite di- 
rection, which brought them face to face. Unfortu- 
nately, the General, who had that morning been sitting 
for his likeness in the full costume of the Llanos which 
he still wore, found himself rather embarrassed in his 
movements by the wide folds of the manta. This 
prevented him from drawing the sword he had re- 
tained, which was his first impulse ; and he therefore 
retreated a few paces into a more open space where 
he could torear her until others came to his assistance. 
With the subtlety of her sex the cow at once perceived 
his intentions, and rapidly following his every move- 
ment, watched her opportunity to strike him on the 
side ; but he, precisely at the right instant, with great 
presence of mind threw himself flat upon the ground 
just as she aimed the blow. Instead, however, of jump- 
ing over him, as is usual with bulls in similar cases, the 



198 WILD SCENES IN SOUTH AMERICA. 

cow rushed upon him, when his adroitness in grasping 
one of her fore feet so firmly as to arrest further at- 
tack until others came to his relief, prevented any in- 
jury beyond a slight scratch on his side and tearing 
his manta. 

It is needless to add that after so disrespectful an 
assault upon the revered person of our leader, the 
cow received no gentle treatment at the hands of the 
indignant vaqueros : some were for despatching her 
at once for their evening meal ; others, for affixing a 
dry hide to the end of her tail and letting her loose 
over the plain ; while a few, compassionating her ig- 
norance, among them the aggrieved owner, were 
only for depriving her of the means of doing further 
mischief with the horns. This opinion prevailing at 
last over all others, the ruthless hand of the execu- 
tioner at once applied the saw to the pride of her 
head, after which she was allowed to depart in peace. 
Thus ended a short, but not altogether inglorious 
struggle, which, but for the cunning and address dis- 
played on both sides, might have terminated fatally 
to either of the parties engaged in it. 

After the corralejas had been emptied of their 
contents, there still remained in the majada several 
bulls at large, which had escaped during the confu- 
sion ; and many of these not yet having been oper- 
ated upon, another most exciting chase was afforded 
to the indefatigable and athletic hunters. The nar- 
rowness of the field, however, which precluded the 
use of horses, and the fact that each bull required to 
be captured with the lazo, occasioned serious obsta- 



BRANDING SCENES. 



199 



cles and much risk to the men engaged therein. Lack 
of volunteers there was none, and among thern a pow- 
erful red-haired zanibo, which freak of nature had ob- 
tained for him the sobriquet of Colorado — the red man. 

This fellow enjoyed a wide reputation in the 
country for his exploits, both in field and corral, and 
on this occasion proved himself deserving of the fame 
which he had heretofore achieved. It was he who 
now first led the charge. Seizing a lazo of long di- 
mensions, contrary to usual practice, he proceeded to 
coil it on his right hand, securing the end upon his 
left. Then, cautiously approaching a formidable 
black bull, which stood alone in the centre of the 
majada, he sent the whole lazo, noose and all, uncoil- 
ing like a snake through the air until it reached the 
animal's head. Although the distance must have 
been thirty paces, we had the satisfaction of seeing 
the noose settle round his neck as truly as if placed 
there by the practised hand of a hangman. From 
this moment, Colorado was unanimously proclaimed 
master of the lazo, an honor which he enjoyed to the 
end of the performances, as all that remained in this 
case to be accomplished by the others was merely to 
pull the lazo in order to bring the bull up to the 
botalon or upright post, which served the double 
purpose of subduing stake for the bulls, and training 
post for the boys. To it one or more young bulls 
were usually brought at the end of the day's work, 
and the boys compelled to mount them in the manner 
described in a previous chapter ; the animals are then 
set loose amidst the crowd of assembled quadrupeds, 
which are evidently amazed at the singular spectacle. 



200 WILD SCENES IN SOUTH AMERICA. 




We witnessed several exhibitions of the kind in 
the majada, whenever we were present at the brand- 
ing of the cattle ; but never do I recollect any serious 
accident occurring to the little riders. Thus it is that 
the Llaneros educate their boys from infancy to the 
severest exercises of their profession, so that they in 
turn may teach the same to their own children. 

Not always, however, is the Llanero's triumph 
over the brute creation obtained so easily, for many 
are the instances in which the latter gain the advan- 
tage in these hand-to-horn combats, and in such cases 
the evil resulting is very great. Sometimes the men 
are dreadfully lacerated, either by the horns or the 
sharp hoofs of their antagonists, frequently losing 
their lives in consequence, from want of proper medi- 
cal treatment at the time the wounds are inflicted. 
The most common phase the disease assumes is that 
of tetanus or lock-jaw, which sometimes ensues from 
only a slight scratch on the tendinous part of the foot. 
From the scarcity of surgeons in the country, and the 
lack of skill in dressing these wounds, mortification, 
aneurisms, malignant abscesses, and a variety of other 



BRANDING SCENES. 



201 



complaints are amongst the evils resulting from tins 
otherwise entertaining sport. In spite of all our pre- 
cautions, and the assistance of the surgeon, Dr. Gal- 
legos, we lost three of our best men, and several 
others afterward died in consequence of injuries re- 
ceived during that expedition. 



CHAPTER XV. 



PLANTS AND SNAKES. 

The wide extent of the savannas composing this 
cattle farm, and the dispersion of the herds through- 
out them, compelled us to remove our quarters to a 
more central point, from whence we could sally forth 
in their pursuit. Orders were issued accordingly for 
the men to be in readiness, and the next morning we 
quitted with regret our comfortable quarters at the 
majordomo's mansion and started for Mata-Gorda, 
one of those delightful primeval groves which dot the 
prairies here and there. 

Some idea of the extent of this huge farm may be 
gathered from the fact that one may start at a gallop 
early in the morning from one end of the savannas 
and not reach the other until late at night of the same 
day. Its area would measure at least eighty square 
leagues, or about one hundred and fifty thousand acres 
of the richest land, but which under the present back- 
ward and revolutionary state of the country is com- 
paratively valueless to its owner. The number of 



PLANTS AND SNAKES. 



203 



cattle dispersed throughout the length and breadth 
of this wide extent of prairie land was computed to 
be about a hundred thousand heads, and, at one 
time, ten thousand horses ; but what with the peste', 
revolutionary exactions, and skin hunters, compara- 
tively very few of the former and none of the latter 
have been left. 

Our first occupation on arriving at the Mat a was 
to set up a hasty ranch for the protection of our ac- 
coutrements and baggage, a structure which required 
little labor or expense, the graceful palms affording 
the best kind of thatch for the roof, and the surround- 
ing woods sufficient posts and rafters for the frame- 
work. A convenient apartment was provided in it 
for the hammocks of our Leader and worthy Surgeon, 
while the rest of us were compelled to seek accommo- 
dations among the trunks and branches of the trees. 

These arrangements completed, the necessary tim- 
ber was next cut for the corrals to be erected for en- 
closing the coming herds, a work to which the hunters 
devoted themselves, while I found greater attractions 
in my daily explorations through the tangled forest. 
The beautiful palms there claimed my most particular 
attention. Apart from the splendor of their growth 
and other peculiarities to which I have already al- 
luded in a former chapter, they are sufficient in them- 
selves to supply many of the domestic and economic 
wants of man in a primitive state. 

I also observed here many useful species of the 
extensive family of leguminous plants, such as the 
eanafistula, (Cathartocarpus,) of which there were 
several varieties, all of them beautiful timber trees. 



204 



WILD SCENES IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



whose pods, two feet long, were filled with a black 
gummy substance possessing very medicinal proper- 
ties. In a natural form it affords one of the mildest 
and most agreeable cathartics. Belonging to the 
same family, the caro, masaguaro, and saman aca- 
cias can scarcely be rivalled in durability by any 
other production of the vegetable world. Their pods 
also contain a large proportion of a similar gummy 
substance which cattle devour greedily, and which 
fattens them better than any other kind of fodder. 

The malagueta pepper, or donkey -bean, {Uvaria 
febrifugal) an excellent febrifuge and antispasmodic, 
also grows here in the greatest abundance. Its aro- 
matic seeds are carefully preserved in the tobacco 
bladder of every Llanero, along with the tubers of the 
snake root, (Aristolochia oulhosa,) a plant possessing 
the same virtues, and withal the best antidote against 
the bite of serpents. 

Several other medicinal plants, such as the stately 
mora, the wild sour-sop, and the mapurite, are also 
met with here ; the last owes its name to the pecu- 
liar odor, not unlike that of the skunk, which per- 
vades the whole plant, rendering it any thing but 
acceptable in the neighborhood of an encampment. 

Of wild fruits there was also a fine array, and 
among them the most delicious of all, in my opinion, 
is the manirito, (Anona muricata,) a fruit scarcely 
known to horticulture, and still less to the listless in- 
habitant of the country where it grows in wild lux- 
uriance ; as no one there has yet thought of bringing 
it under cultivation. This plant, which belongs to 
the same family as do several of the most celebrated 



PLANTS AND SNAKES. 



205 



fruit trees of the tropics — the various kinds of custard 
apples and the delicious cherimoyer — attains a height 
of ten feet, and at the season of maturity, actually 
bends to the ground beneath its sweet load. Unfor- 
tunately it all ripens at once, so that in a few days 
the whole crop disappears. This fruit, like its con- 
gener the sour-sop, is covered with soft prickles. The 
inside, a sweet and highly aromatic pulp, is filled with 
small seeds, which, when the fruit is eaten in large 
quantities, as is generally the case, are apt to produce 
dangerous strictures. The whole plant is exceedingly 
fragrant ; and by rubbing the leaves between the 
hands, they emit a delightful aroma, not unlike that 
of new mown hay. 

Another pleasant fruit, that I here met also for 
the first time, was the wild madrona, of the size of a 
lemon, which it also resembles in shape and color. It 
is filled with a most agreeable sub-acid pulp ; this 
envelops three or four large nuts, not unlike cacao- 
beans, and tastes very much like strawberries. The 
tree producing this delicious fruit attains a height of 
twenty feet. The foliage is very dense, with coria- 
ceous leaves ten inches long, of a brilliant green. A 
thick yellow resin, resembling gamboge, exudes from 
every part of the tree when wounded ; but whether it 
has been found useful for any particular purpose, I 
was unable to ascertain. 

Somewhat similar to the latter, although growing 
upon a plant of an entirely different nature, is the 
cacaita, or monkey cacao-bean, a soft and rather in- 
sipid fruit, the production of a vine, which monkeys 
devour greedily. 



206 



WILD SCENES IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



By far the largest proportion of the trees were 
several species of guamos (Inga lucida) and others of 
the same order of leguminous plants, bearing pods 
eight or ten inches long ; these are filled with a row 
of black beans, enveloped in a snowy white and sweet- 
ish pulp, most agreeable to the taste. The ripening 
season of this mild and wholesome fruit was just com- 
mencing, and every day we gathered and consumed 
quantities of it. 

Another pod-bearing tree of great utility proper 
to that region is the algarrobo, (Hymenea curb aril,) 
the locust tree of the New "W orld, which bears a thick 
ligneous pod containing several hard, browu, and 
rounded beans. These are surrounded by a sweet fari- 
naceous substance, possessing great alimentary prop- 
erties. A fragrant resin exudes from the pericarp of 
the pods, which, on being burned, yields a perfume 
similar to the odor of frankincense combined with 
that of balsam of Tolu. 

I had almost forgotten to mention, among the 
agreeable fruits of these parts, several kinds of wild 
guavas, from the tiny Array an, scarcely distinguish- 
able among the tufts of grass by which it is sur- 
rounded, to the beautiful paujil shrub, bearing in 
great profusion quantities of brilliant scarlet, highly 
perfumed and acidulous fruits. The berry of the 
former exactly resembles Jamaica allspice in shape ; 
is quite sweet, and possesses in a high degree the ex- 
quisite flavor and aroma of the myrtle tribe, to which 
indeed all these plants belong. 

Great care was necessary in selecting spits for 
roasting the beef, on account of a most poisonous 



PLANTS AND SNAKES. 



207 



shrub, the deadly guachamacd, abounding there. It 
belongs to the extensive family of Apocinege or Dog- 
banes, whose poisonous qualities are known all over 
the world. So virulent is this poison, that meat 
roasted on spits made from the guachamaca, absorbs 
sufficient poison to destroy all who partake of it. The 
lazy Indians make use of it to kill without trouble the 
cranes and herons on the borders of lagoons. For 
this they procure a number of sardines, besmear them 
with the juice of the plant, and spread them along 
the places frequented by those birds. The moment 
one of them seizes the fish, and before it is fairly swal- 
lowed, the bird drops dead ; then the indolent hunter, 
issuing from his hiding-place, cuts off the parts affect- 
ed by the poison, usually the head and neck, and 
feels no scruple in eating the remainder. 

A dreadful case of poisoning by means of this 
plant had just occurred at Nutrias, soon after our ar- 
rival on the Apure, which created for a time great 
excitement even amidst that scattered population. A 
woman who lived with a man in the vicinity of that 
town became jealous of the attentions he bestowed 
upon a charming neighbor of theirs, and determined 
to avenge herself, but in some manner that would not 
excite suspicion. In those remote regions where coro- 
ners and chemists are unknown, it is impossible to 
detect murder except where marks of external vio- 
lence are visible. Accordingly, she prepared for her 
lover a bowl of masato, a favorite beverage of the 
country, made of Indian corn boiled, mashed in water, 
and fermented ; in this she soaked chips of the poison- 
ous plant and offered it to him with smiling grace. 



208 WILD SCENES IN SOUTH AMERICA. 

Delighted at sight of the tempting bowl, the unsus- 
pecting lover invited several of his neighbors — among 
them the hated rival — to share it with him. The 
woman, not intending to destroy any but her perfid- 
ious lover, during his absence prepared another bowl, 
omitting this time the poison. Llanero politeness 
obliged the host, however, to mix his portion with 
the others, which having done, he invited the com- 
pany to dip their calabash cups into the bowl. Out 
of eleven persons there assembled, among them sev- 
eral children, not one escaped except the wicked per- 
petrator of this wholesale murder ; nor even the don- 
keys and fowl of the household, as their attentive 
master had thrown them the remains of the deadly 
mixture. 

Such is the dread in which the Llaneros hold this 
plant, that I was not even permitted to preserve the 
specimens of fruit and flowers I had collected, with 
the object of ascertaining, on my return to the Val- 
leys, the botanical characters of the species. They 
almost threatened to desert, if I insisted upon carry- 
ing them among the baggage. 

The propagation of this plant throughout the 
Apure appears to be of recent origin, none of the 
oldest inhabitants recollecting to have met with it 
until within comparatively a short period. 

The men had no small trouble in clearing our 
camp of many noxious reptiles ; and it became our 
regular afternoon business to hunt for snakes. We 
succeeded in killing a great number in the vicinity of 
the ranch, some very poisonous, while others were 



PLANTS AND SNAKES. 



209 



quite harmless ; of the latter class I found two species 
of coral snakes, against which an unjust prejudice ex- 
ists, that they are among the most poisonous. Of the 
former, the matacaballo is the most to be feared. Al- 
though scarcely larger than a good-sized earthworm, 
his bite is nevertheless almost instantaneously fatal to 
man and beast. Unlike his other sluggish and torpid 
congeners, this little snake is the more dangerous be- 
cause always on the alert. The tramp of a horse, 
especially, never fails in rousing them, against which 
noble animal they evince an inveterate rancor. I was 
once occupied in sketching one of these snakes, which 
I had permitted to live for the purpose, and I observed 
that whenever a horse approached us, the snake rap- 
idly turned his head in the direction of the sound, 
seeming as if anxious to strike the animal with his 
fangs ; but as I had fortunately taken the precaution 
of disabling him by partially breaking his spine, he 
could make but little progress toward the object of 
his dislike. 

The tendinous part between the hoof and ankle- 
joint of the horse being nearest the ground, is conse- 
quently most exposed to the bite of the matacaballo / 
and although the distance from the ankle to the heart 
is very great, it not unfrequently happens that the 
animal drops as if touched by the electric spark, from 
which fact I infer that this poison acts on the nervous 
system as well as on the blood. Horned cattle and 
pigs are fortunately shielded by the thickness of their 
skin from the fangs of this destroyer, which cannot 
penetrate it. Hence this snake has been termed, par 
excellence^ matacaballo, literally horse-killer. 



210 



WILD SCENES IN SOUTE AMERICA. 




It was at one time extremely dangerous to drive 
horses across the banks of these savannas where 
snakes are always most abundant ; their numbers, 
however, have been considerably diminished since 
the immense multiplication of pigs in those re- 
gions. 

Horses have there also another dangerous enemy — 
a great hairy spider or species of the tarantula ; this 
inflicts a very poisonous and painful sting just above 
the hoof, which in time drops off, although it is never 
followed by death. 

But among all these evil creatures, there is none 
so disgusting or so dangerous as the rattlesnake. The 
virulence of its poison, and the great size attained by 
some, renders them the terror of every man and beast 
where they abound. Fortunately for mankind, they 
have been provided by an ever-watchful Providence 
with what is termed a rattle ; this is composed of a 
number of horny rings placed at the end of the tail, 



PLANTS AND SNAKES. 



211 



which, on being shaken, produce a peculiar sound, 
and serve as warning. It is said that Nature every 
year adds one of these rings, thus marking the age of 
the reptile. From its loathsome body is exhaled a 
strong odor, somewhat resembling musk, in itself 
sufficient to warn the most careless, as it is per- 
ceptible at the distance of a hundred feet. The head 
is peculiarly flat and broad, and the eyes sparkle in 
the darkness like specks of fire. The mouth is a 
ghastly aperture, whence issues a black and forked 
tongue, which the reptile moves incessantly when 
irritated. Two long fangs, curved inwardly, project 
in front of the upper jaw, and through them the 
fatal venom is discharged. The poison is secreted 
from two glands in the form of small bags at the 
root of the fangs, admirably adapted for the pur- 
pose, being hollow inside throughout their whole 
length, and by their pressure against the glands pro- 
duced by the act of biting, the liquid is ejected into 
the wound. Fortunately, this snake is the slowest in 
its motions, and the most torpid of its kind, otherwise 
the mischief done by them would be much greater, 
they being very abundant also in the Llanos. Their 
favorite haunts are the hollow trunks of decayed trees 
and deep fissures in the ground. Occasionally they 
are found coiled among thick clumps of grass, which 
shelter them from the glaring sun ; but they are 
always ready to strike any intruder. At night they 
issue forth in quest of game, returning again to their 
hiding-places before sunrise. 

In addition to the foregoing, there are several 
other kinds in the Apure ; among the harmless ones 



212 



WILD SCENES IN SOUTH AMERICA 



the sdbanera is very abundant in the savannas, from 
which it is named. Some of these are ten feet long, 
and occasionally even more. They glide over the 
ground with astonishing rapidity, making all varieties 
of contortions with their bodies, the forward part of 
which they keep all the while raised in a vertical po- 
sition. These snakes are very useful, as they destroy 
all the poisonous kinds they encounter. 

The beautiful coral snake, with alternate rings of 
red, black, and white, is occasionally seen in the vicin- 
ity of ant-holes. Most persons attribute to it very 
poisonous qualities ; but I have examined its mouth 
carefully and found there no fangs, nor any of the 
characteristics of poisonous snakes. 

In the same category is placed another inoffensive 
reptile, a cecilia, emphatically styled culebra de dos 
cabezas, or two-headed snake — so named on account 
of having both ends of its body of equal thickness, 
while the eyes are almost invisible. It seems the con- 
necting link between snakes and earthworms, partak- 
ing of the nature of both, is about a foot long, and 
rather disproportionately thick for its length, while 
its body is covered with minute scales. As this snake 
has the power of moving backward or forward with 
equal facility, it is supposed by many to be actually 
possessed of two heads. There is abundant nourish- 
ment for it in the ant nests which it frequents, but it 
feeds also on earthworms, and the larvae of insects, 
pursuing them with unrelenting perseverance through 
the ground. The double motion of this reptile, its 
great muscular powers and flexibility enable it to 
penetrate the deepest recesses of a colony of ants, and 



PLANTS AND SNAKES. 



213 



to pierce the earth with wonderful expedition in 
search of prey. 

Another singular delusion existing in the Llanos 
is the general belief that horse and human hair is 
transformed into snakes, if left for a time to soak in 
water. The snake resulting from this singular meta- 
morphosis is said to possess all the venom of the most 
virulent, and a person bitten by one of them must at 
once resign himself to his fate, as there is no remedy. 
I recollect having often observed on the margins of 
ditches and pools of stagnant water curious-looking 
creatures, not unlike magnified horsehair, with snake- 
like motions ; scarcely any thing like a head being 
visible, and still less a mouth with the requisite fangs. 
They are singularly tough and tenacious of life, and 
may be beaten with a stone without producing any 
apparent impression upon them. From this fact, and 
from their capillary appearance, the delusion has 
doubtless originated. 

ANTIDOTES. 

Several antidotes are recommended for the venom- 
ous bite of snakes ; some of them possess real alexi- 
pharmic virtues, as the raiz de mato, to which I 
have already alluded under the name of Aristolochia 
bulbosa, and the guaco, (Mikania Guaco,) a compo- 
site plant which the learned Mutis has rendered so 
celebrated through the instrumentality of Humboldt ; 
the others, however, are nothing more than supersti- 
tious imaginings, which see in the tooth of a crocodile 
extracted on Good Friday, or in some unmeaning 



21JL WILD SCENES IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



orison whispered in the sufferer's ear, greater powers 
than in all the resources of medical science. Yet 
such is the leaning of the benighted children of Na- 
ture in these regions toward the supernatural, that 
they always give the preference to whatever savors 
most of the miraculous. Somewhat of this has doubt- 
less arisen from the mistaken idea that all snakes are 
poisonous. Thus if it so happen that the incantation 
is whispered over a person who recovers, having been 
bitten by a harmless snake, his cure is of course at- 
tributed to magic, which is accordingly proclaimed a 
sovereign remedy for all similar cases in future. Saint 
Paul, as I have already mentioned, possesses not only 
the power of arresting the fatal spring of a snake, if 
invoked in time, but can also neutralize the poison, 
even when it is circulating through the veins. Not- 
withstanding my want of faith in the intervention of 
the saint in question, I confess myself to have been 
on an occasion extremely puzzled by one of these 
cherished superstitions, the famous Oration de San 
PdblO) and up to this period have not been able to 
account for it in a manner satisfactory to my common 
sense. As we were one afternoon driving home a 
herd of cattle, the majordomo's horse was bitten by a 
matacaoallo, when at a short distance from the ranch. 
The rider observed his sudden start, and at once men- 
tioned the cause thereof. The ground, overgrown 
with grass, was diligently searched, and the snake dis- 
covered and killed on the very spot pointed out by 
the majordomo, who in the mean time had hastened 
forward with his horse to the ranch, knowing that the 
strength of the poor animal would soon give way. 



PLANTS AND SNAKES. 



215 



Scarcely had he alighted when his horse, covered with 
a cold sweat, dropped to the ground. A curandero 
or snake doctor immediately presented himself and 
commenced a series of incantations over the prostrate 
animal, which it was supposed would soon counter- 
act the poison. I was anxious to administer sjurits 
of hartshorn, a well-authenticated remedy for such 
cases, but the Llaneros opposed this resolutely, on the 
ground that it would interfere with their own. The 
Oracion was accordingly whispered in the horse's ear 
and the patient then removed to a convenient pasture, 
where he could find abundant feed if fate ever restored 
his appetite. Here he was left, rolling upon the 
ground and moaning piteously, while I was positively 
assured by the men that in the course of two hours, at 
most, he would be completely restored, and my scep- 
ticism confounded. Singularly enough, the remedy 
acted in this case like a real charm ; at the appointed 
time the horse started to his feet and commenced 
browsing the grass around him with as much gusto 
as if he had experienced no ailment whatsoever. 
Whether the venom of the snake was not, in this in- 
stance, strong enough to kill the horse ; or, what is 
more probable, the reptile's fang might not have pen- 
etrated deep enough, are questions which cannot be 
decided, but shortly afterward the same horse, a 
beautiful but wild and vicious young stallion, came 
very near kicking to death the curandero who restored 
him to health. 

The Llaneros are not, however, the only people in 
the country who have faith in these miraculous cures. 
It is more or less entertained throughout the country 



216 WILD SCENES IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



by persons more enlightened in other respects than 
they. It is asserted of a famous curandero in the 
Yalleys of Aragua, that in extreme cases, if prevented 
from going in person to the patient, it was only neces- 
sary to send his hat ! By placing this talisman on 
the injured man's head, it would not only afford im- 
mediate relief, but arrest the progress of the venom 
until the owner could come himself to perfect the 
cure. 

Another singular practice obtains among Llaneros ; 
it is that of inoculation with the juice of certain plants 
possessing alexipharmic virtues, after which the most 
poisonous snakes may be handled with impunity. It 
is asserted, moreover, that cerrados — as individuals 
thus inoculated are termed — are not only proof against 
the bite of these reptiles, but can attract them around 
their persons by merely clapping of hands or whis- 
tling for them in fields where they abound. Having 
never witnessed any of these experiments, I will 
neither undertake to uphold the truth of this asser- 
tion, nor will I question its veracity ; but there are 
hundreds of reliable persons in the country who will 
unhesitatingly swear to its efficacy ; among them, is 
the testimony of Dr. Benites, a professional gentleman 
who has published the result of his experiments in a 
small book on the materia medica of the country. 
With the view of ascertaining the alleged properties 
of the guaco he devoted a great portion of his time 
while at La Victoria in experimenting with various 
kinds of snakes ; from him I quote the following pas- 
sage : " The guaco possesses in a high degree the 



PLANTS AND SNAKES. 



217 



faculty of preserving man and animals in general 
from the terrible and fatal effects of the bites of ser- 
pents. This valuable secret, discovered in Bogota by 
the celebrated naturalist, Don Celestino Mutis, in 
1788, remains still as such among some curanderos 
of our own country, who, under certain mysterious 
forms, and availing themselves of the fangs of ser- 
pents, puncture several slight incisions in certain 
parts of the body, which they fill with the powdered 
leaves of the guaco previously made dry, and admin- 
ister the same internally mixed in common rum. 
This property of the guaco is so reliable, inoculation 
by means of the juice such as was practised by Mutis 
himself so well authenticated, and the facts concern- 
ing it so well attested, that there cannot longer exist 
the least doubt in regard to its efficacy. I wished to 
convince myself by actual experiment, and can testify 
that in a thousand trials of inoculation practised by 
myself in different ways on patients whom I allowed 
to be bitten by various kinds of snakes, I never knew 
one to fail. Suffice it to say that the principal amuse- 
ment of children in this place is to catch, carry about 
and play with snakes, and that even young ladies 
keep them in their bosoms or coil them around their 
necks." 

It appears, nevertheless, absolutely necessary to 
renew the inoculation at different epochs of a man's 
life, as in the case of vaccination it loses its power 
after a time. It was no doubt owing to his neglect 
of the rule, that a gentleman in the town of Ocumare 
some years ago fell a victim to his blind confidence 
in this sort of inoculation. Don N. Ugarte had kept 
10 



218 



WILD SCENES IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



a rattlesnake in a drawer during four years ; with it 
he occasionally amused himself, no more harm result- 
ing therefrom than if it had been a kitten. One day 
on returning home from his rounds in the plantation, 
he felt in the humor of playing a little with his old 
pet, and accordingly took him out of his berth and 
placed him upon the writing desk before him. One 
of the children who had also been inoculated happen- 
ing to be near, the father suggested that he should 
kiss the reptile ; to this, the child objected very de- 
cidedly ; the foolish parent, however, insisting, the 
mother interfered and begged that her child should 
not be compelled to touch the loathsome creature ; 
whereupon the father exclaimed : " How foolish you 
are ! I will show you how it kisses me. Now, then, 
pet, give me a kiss ; " and so saying, he leaned for- 
ward toward the snake; true to its instincts, the 
reptile sprang to his lips and implanted such a kiss 
that its master never recovered from the effects. Both 
fangs of the snake went quite through his upper lip, 
and he at once felt himself to be mortally wounded. 
A physician was sent for without delay, but he ex- 
pired before assistance could reach him. 

The guaco is employed, moreover, in various other 
disorders of the system with great success. In chronic 
rheumatism it is an invaluable remedy both in the 
form of poultices made of the fresh leaves, or by sim- 
ply rubbing the part affected with a decoction of the 
plant in spirits, and taking internally one or two 
ounces of the expressed juice, morning and evening. 
Administered in the latter form it is an efficacious 
remedy against hydrophobia, if given immediately 



PLANTS AND SNAKES. 



after the person has been 
bitten by a mad dog. Gen- 
eral Paez was thus saved, 
when a youth, from this 
dreadful scourge of tropical 
countries ; he has neverthe- 
less retained in after life 
some evil effects of the 
virus still in his system^ 
manifesting itself in a ten- 
dency to severe spasmodic 
affections, especially at 
sight of a snake, which 
invariably induces violent 
convulsions. 

Next to the guaco in 
importance as an alexiphar- 
mic, may be classed the 
raiz de mato, including 
several varieties of Aristo- 
lochias, the roots of which 
are intensely bitter. As 
its name implies, it is said 
to afford the mato — a large 
species of lizard — a prompt 
antidote against the bite 
of his old antagonist, the 
snake. There would seem 
to exist some ancient 
grudge between these two 
reptiles, many persons as- 
serting that whenever they 



220 



WILD SCENES IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



come in sight of one another, they instantly rush to 
the attack, the mato never failing to overcome his 
rival by his superior botanical knowledge ; this, or 
his instinct, prompts him to seek the plant, and 
swallowing some of the leaves, returns recuperated to 
the fight * 

It was doubtless from this circumstance the knowl- 
edge was first obtained respecting the valuable prop- 
erties of the plants ; and it is not a little remarkable 
that people in different parts of the world, unac- 
quainted with the botanical structure of Aristolo- 

* Dr. Lindley, speaking of the properties of Aristolochias in general, 
and more especially of A. serpentaria — a North American species — ob- 
serves: "As its name implies, it is used as an antidote to serpent bites, 
a quality in which several other species participate, among which may be 
mentioned A. trilobata, a Jamaica plant, also employed as a sudden and 
powerful sudorific ; and the Cartagena A. unguicida, concerning which 
Jaquin writes, that the juice of the root, chewed and introduced into the 
mouth of a serpent, so stupefies it that it may for a long time be handled 
with impunity ; if the reptile is compelled to swallow a few drops, it 
perishes in convulsions. The root is also reputed to be an antidote to 
serpent bites. This plant is probably the celebrated guaco of the Colum- 
bians,* concerning whose supposed efficacy as an alexipharmic so much 
has been said by Humboldt and others ; at least a leaf of what is either 
this species or one closely allied to it, has been given me by Dr. Han- 
cock as the genuine guaco. It is not a little remarkable that the power 
of stupefying snakes, ascribed in Cartagena to A. anguicida, should be 
also attributed to A. pallida, longa, boetica, serpenvirens, and rotunda, 
which are said to be the plants with which the Egyptian jugglers stupefy 
the snakes they play with. In medicine these plants are slightly aromatic, 
stimulating tonics, useful in the latter stages of low fever ; the taste is 



* This is evidently a mistake, as the plant alluded to here helongs to the ex- 
tensive family of Composite; probably the great resemblance which its leaves bear 
to those of Aristolochias— being deeply cordate-acuminate— has given rise to it. 

Thb Author. 



PLANTS AND SNAKES. 



221 



chias, should have discovered in them properties of 
equal merit, and classed them under the same ver- 
nacular name. 

bitter and acrid ; the odor strong and disagreeable : they are said to be 
sudorific, and have been employed as emmenagogues in amenorrhea. " 

Lindley's Vegetable Kingdom. 



CHAPTER XVI. 



TIGEE STORIES. 



On the second night from onr arrival at the Mata, 
just as most of our party in their hammocks were 
swinging off into dreamland, the ominous cry of El 
Tigre ! — the tiger — was heard in the direction of the 
camp fires, where a few of the men still lingered. As 
if lifted by a gust of the pampero, every man dropped 
from his aerial couch, and in an instant the whole 
camp became a scene of the wildest confusion. Fire- 
brands flew in every direction, by the uncertain glare 
of which we gained occasional glimpses of the jaguar, 
for such was the intruder, prowling near us like a 
huge cat. The horses snorted in terror, the men 
shouted vociferously, while our brave Monico com- 
menced drumming upon his pots and kettles as if 
they were so many gongs, with which in his capacity 
of cook he summoned us to dinner, creating such an 
uproar as drowned the voices of men and beasts, and 
was horrible enough to frighten away a legion of 
jaguars. The odor of the savory spits, at all hours 
faithful to their posts around the camp fires, had 



TIGER STORIES. 



223 



doubtless proved the magnet of attraction to his 
spotted majesty, who, probably disgusted with the 
style of his reception, made a precipitate retreat to 
his stronghold in the forest, growling indignation at 
our want of hospitality. 

Although among the natives he is commonly 
known by the name of the tiger, this animal is act- 
ually the jaguar or Felix Onza of naturalists, no real 
tigers existing in any part of America. It neverthe- 
less exerts the same tyranny over other animals as 
does the tiger or leopard in the hot regions of the Old 
World, differing from its congener principally in the 
form of the marks upon his skin, which in the jaguar 
of America are rounded or in rings, therein unlike the 
long stripes of the Bengal tiger. In another species 
common to the forests of Gu ay ana, the skin is nearly 
black, the spots being invisible except in the broad 
sunlight. This is considered the most sanguinary and 
ferocious. Some jaguars attain a great size, measur- 
ing seven feet from the nose to the tail. They are 
sufficiently powerful to kill an ox or horse and drag 
them off over the highest fences. 

When the excitement occasioned by the intrusion 
of the nocturnal thief had subsided, few of us were 
inclined for sleep ; several of our men, therefore, who 
had been at different times active participators in 
similar adventures, volunteered entertaining us for 
the remainder of the night with some interesting 
stories concerning this lord of South American for- 
ests. From them I gathered many useful facts re- 
specting his habits and disposition, which I shall 
recount as nearly as possible verbatim. 



224 



WILD SCENES IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



Although, perhaps, the most powerful among wild 
beasts of this continent, the jaguar is by no means as 
terrible as might be supposed from the renown of his 
prowess. Occasionally when hard pressed by hunger 
he ventures within the precincts of man, robbing the 
corrals of the farmhouse of their defenceless inmates. 
Many instances are also related of his having attacked 
and carried off a solitary traveller to his lair in the 
woods ; but he usually evinces the profoundest respect 
for man unless driven to extremities, when he has 
been known to set at defiance the combined efforts of 
a host of men and dogs. When thus, by a too inti- 
mate acquaintance with the people and flocks of some 
particular community, he has gone so far as to levy 
blackmail upon them, the appellation of cebado — as in 
the case of the crocodile — is given to the jaguar. An 
animal of this description is said to possess wonderful 
daring and instinct, making him by far the most dan- 
gerous of the class, attacking not only tame animals 
in the corrals, but even individuals are frequently as- 
sailed and devoured by him. It is said also that when 
he has once tasted human blood, he becomes insatiable 
in his eagerness to procure this luxury. They are then 
so dangerous, that the owners of cattle farms usually 
call a meeting of all the hateros in the vicinity, capa- 
ble of handling lazo or lance — firearms being rarely 
used in expeditions of this kind — and with the assist- 
ance of a pack of well-trained hounds of a peculiar 
breed, called tigreros in consequence, they surround 
the wood supposed to harbor the tiger, and beating 
carefully about the jungle, drive him out into the open 
plain, where men on horseback are stationed ready to 



TIGER STORIES. 



225 



lazo the game as it breaks cover. To ensure success, 
it is only requisite that the horses be steady and well 
trained to the sport ; and as the tiger, conscious of 
his danger, frequently refuses to quit the jungle, a 
number of daring matadors are also needed to drive 
him out or attack him in his lair, assisted in this by 
the dogs, which, by harassing him on all sides, divert 
him from the assailants. 

Jaguars were at one time so numerous in the 
Llanos, that their ravages upon the calves and young 
foals were truly frightful. This circumstance, in ad- 
dition to the value attached in other countries to 
their beautiful skins, have contributed to reduce the 
numbers very considerably, as whenever they make 
their appearance they are eagerly pursued. 

In its wild state the jaguar is an exceedingly beau- 
tiful animal ; his motions particularly easy and grace- 
ful, and possessing wonderful agility in bounding 
among the trees and tall grass of the savannas. 
When watching for prey, he generally crouches upon 
the ground, the fore paws stretched out, resting his 
head between them in a manner very similar to that 
of the domestic cat ; and as he climbs trees with a 
facility almost equal to that of monkeys, these are in 
exceeding dread of him on that account. 

The haunts usually preferred by the jaguar appear 
to be swampy borders of marshes and lagoons over- 
grown with reeds and wild plantain, where they are 
sure of finding plenty of game. Water hogs or capy- 
varas especially, are easy prey, as they cannot move 
except in short jumps. It is asserted that where these 
animals abound, there is little to be feared from the 
10* 



226 



WILD SCENES IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



jaguar, which always prefers the wild animals of the 
field for food, becoming bolder and more dangerous 
to man in proportion as these disappear. 

My earliest recollection of the jaguar dates from 
the time when the famous town of Achaguas was 
head-quarters for the patriot army commanded by 
my father. I was a little fellow not more than three 
years of age, when a foraging party fell in with a 
tigress and her cub ; the latter they secured and 
brought to Achaguas after a desperate struggle with 
the mother. The extreme beauty and youth of the 
captive soon gained the sympathies and favor of a 
host of admirers, especially those of the female de- 
partment, in the household of Colonel Mujica, who 
purchased it and consigned it to their care. Under 
their special protection and good treatment it quickly 
grew strong enough to take part in all squabbles 
among the dogs and cats of the family, which an- 
imals always form a prominent feature in all well- 
regulated Llanero establishments. At first the new 
pet was allowed the entire freedom of the premises, 
associating very readily with every stranger who vis- 
ited the house, and evincing none of the disagreeable 
traits ascribed to these animals. I, who participated 
in all its juvenile antics, and who supposed it to be 
only a large cat, very soon became its favorite play- 
mate, until on one occasion it carried its pranks so 
far as to throw me down, at the same time tearing 
my clothing to rags with its claws. From this mo- 
ment it was considered expedient to chain up my 
playfellow, and accordingly he was secured to a pillar 



TIGER STORIES 



227 



in the corridor of the house. It is related of this fa- 
vorite, that having afterward broken its chain, it 
speedily found the way to the poultry yard where the 
Colonel kept his game chickens, not one of which was 
left to fight its battles over. For this unpardonable 
breach of discipline the young tiger received so sound 
a castigation as to cripple the poor fellow for life. 

Numberless are the tricks recorded of the lame 
tiger of Colonel Mujica, they for a time constituting 
the principal amusement of those of the army who 
were in the habit of frequenting the Colonel's quarters 
to while away their idle hours at the favorite game 
of monte. What finally became of my uncouth play- 
fellow, I am unable to state ; the probability is that 
he, as well as most of the brave champions of that 
memorable epoch, is dead ; at all events, they are 
buried .... in the dust of the past. 

In a solitary ranch, not far from San Jaime, there 
once lived a poor widow, who, out of compassion for 
a young cub which had been picked up by some va- 
queros undertook to raise it with the milk of her own 
goats, sheltering it at night from the damp under the 
folds of her bed, covering and treating the foundling 
with as much affection as though it were her child. 
In return, the little fellow became so attached to its 
adopted mother, that it could not endure a moment's 
separation from her, and would lie like a cat by the 
fireside while she devoted herself to the occupations 
of the kitchen. As it grew older and stronger, the 
woman's slender stock of goats was rapidly dimin- 
ished by its repeated depredations ; it was therefore 



228 WILD SCENES IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



deemed prudent to give it wider range than the 
widow's little farm-yard, and it was encouraged to 
seek for game in the neighboring woods. Whenever 
successful in these excursions, the intelligent creature 
invariably brought some home, and with seeming 
pride laid it at the feet of its benefactress. On one 
occasion, some of her neighbors having come to pass 
the day with her, she thought that as game was plen- 
tiful and easily obtained, she would spare such of her 
goats as had thus far escaped the teeth of her favorite, 
and, instead, procure with its assistance a supply of 
venison with which to treat her guests. Accordingly, 
leaving the hut in their charge, she and her efficient 
hunter started for the woods, proposing to be back in 
time to cook the dinner ; but to the astonishment of 
her visitors, the dinner-hour arrived, then the night, 
but no tidings of the hunters ; and up to this time, I 
believe, nothing has been heard about either of the 
former tenants of the solitary ranch, although it is 
not difficult to imagine the poor widow's fate. 

We had once in our employ a stout and powerful 
sambo, who on account of his name — Bolivar — and 
his great muscular development, had received the 
sobriquet of Bolivote, or big Bolivar. Great was his 
pride in possessing not only the same patronymic as 
the distinguished General of his name, but also some 
deep scars on his right arm, inflicted by the claws of 
a jaguar, which he improved every opportunity of 
displaying. 

Bolivote had been riding hard during a whole 
day, and feeling rather weary, sought repose under 



TIGER STORIES. 



229 



the shade of a clump of palm trees, allowing his horse 
meanwhile to crop the grass near by. He had lain 
down at the foot of a palm, and almost fallen asleep, 
when he was roused by a rustling of the leaves over- 
head, and looking up to ascertain the cause, beheld 
with astonishment a large jaguar in the act of spring- 
ing upon him. He started to his feet, but was within 
the tiger's grasp ere he could unsheath his sword. 
"Without losing a moment he plunged his finger into 
one of the fiery eyeballs glaring upon him, and suc- 
ceeded in forcing it from its socket. The pain thus 
inflicted was so acute, that the tiger retreated with 
fearful yells ; yet not before he had mangled with 
teeth and claws the sturdy arm which had punished 
him so severely. 

During our journey across the pampas, we were 
shown the spot where not long before a jaguar had 
attacked a woman. Her preservation, also, was due 
to presence of mind, and to the fact of being armed 
with a machete or cutlass, with which she had in- 
tended cutting a load of wood for domestic uses. 
The wood being near at hand, she was in the daily 
habit of fearlessly traversing the plain alone. On 
one occasion she went al monte, to the fields, as they 
say there, with the intention of collecting her usual 
load of fagots. No sooner did she commence break- 
ing the sticks, than a deep rumbling growl which 
seemed to shake the ground beneath her feet, almost 
paralyzed her movements. Although the sound was 
somewhat familiar, yet she never before had heard it 
so near at hand, and she was therefore instantly con- 



230 WILD SCENES IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



scions of her perilous situation. Knowing that an 
attempt at precipitate flight would only contribute to 
increase the anger of the tiger, she decided accord- 
ingly upon concealing herself and remaining perfectly 
quiet behind a large tree. Yain endeavor ! in a few 
moments a large jaguar glided from the tangled jun- 
gle and stood before the terrified woman, his eyes 
shooting fire, his open mouth parched with thirst of 
blood. At the dread sight she gave herself up for 
lost, and began reciting aloud a prayer to her patron 
saint, which the tiger answered with another fearful 
roar. The jaguar then commenced tearing up the 
roots of the nearest tree, looking the while like a huge 
cat sharpening his claws. Then gradually approach- 
ing the woman's hiding-place until within a few yards, 
with a bound he cleared the space separating them, 
and alighted at the foot of the tree behind which she 
was sheltered. Without a moment's loss, the woman 
aimed a blow with her machete, severing one of the 
paws which grasped the tree. This partly disabling 
him, he retreated a few paces ; but soon returning to 
the attack, received a second blow, this time on his 
head, with such good effect that he fell stunned upon 
the ground. It is needless to add that our heroine 
did not wait to see what might have been the final 
result of this blow, bujb springing from her hiding- 
place, she so belabored him with her machete as to 
completely spoil his skin for marketable purposes. 

Among the troop of idlers and adventurers always 
following the camp, we were favored at Mata Gorda 
with the company of a famous story teller of the 



TIGER STORIES. 



231 



A pure, who, in wonderful encounters with wild 
beasts, and marvellous adventures, might almost 
rival the celebrated Baron Munchausen, or even the 
sailor of Arabian Nights celebrity. His real name 
was B. ; but owing to his diminutive stature and 
cunning, he had been honored with the familiar ap- 
pellation of Tio Conejo* Indeed, so small was he, 
that if we credit his statement, he was often mistaken 
for his own baby, usurping its place in the cradle for 
the purpose of enjoying the kisses and other petites 
caresses usually lavished by the female sex upon these 
tender innocents. Among the various incidents of 
his eventful life, he had, as a matter of course, some- 
thing to say concerning tigers. 

" Once upon a time," said our humorous compan- 
ion, u I was by the banks of the river Uribante, and 
there had an opportunity of cheating Tio Tigre in 
his endeavors to make mince meat of my humble 
self. Returning one day from a successful fishing 
excursion, I was enjoying my usual siesta when El 
Tio made up his mind, as it seemed, to pay me an 
unexpected visit, doubtless with the intention of rob- 
bing me of the products of my industry, which I had 
dressed and salted a few minutes before. Happily I 
have for obvious reasons accustomed my eyes to 
keep alternate watch when camping out alone, as was 
the case in this instance, so that if approached by any 
evil-disposed individual, I am always able to avoid 

* Tio Tigre and Tio Conejo — Uncle Tiger and Uncle Rabbit. These 
are the heroes of endless adventures, the mother's never-failing source of 
amusement to her children, supposed to have taken place in the woods 
of Venezuela. 



232 



WILD SCENES IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



danger through the watchfulness of the one on duty ; 
when this sentinel becomes weary, I allow it to sleep 
and rouse its fellow. 

" Well, Senores, as I have said already, one of my 
watchmen observing the tiger coming toward me, I 
sprang from my hammock with the intention of giv- 
ing him a warm reception ; but, luckily for the 
spotted vagabond, my cuchillo, which is always by 
my side, was left forgotten among the heap of fish I 
had been dressing. Thus cut off from my only means 
of defence, and observing near by an immense gourd 
of a size such as is rarely seen in these parts, I slipped 
into it just when Tio Tigre thought he had me." 

The narrative was here interrupted by a sceptical 
individual from the audience insisting upon being en- 
lightened as to the precise dimensions of that gourd ; 
the reply was, " Why, Sirs, here is nothing extraor- 
dinary. I have seen squashes at the foot of the Cor- 
dilleras, each of which would be a load sufficient for 
a bongo. I once lost a pack of mules during the 
night, and after searching for them around the base 
of what I supposed a hillock, I found the sagacious 
animals inside one of these squashes — for such was 
the seeming hillock — supping at leisure on the succu- 
lent pulp, having gnawed for themselves a passage to 
the interior. But to return to my story. The tiger, 
enraged at my sudden disappearance, commenced a 
deliberate attack with teeth and claws upon the tough 
and slippery shell, with no other result than that of 
rolling the gourd with me in it further from him. 

" It was hugely amusing to watch from my strong- 
hold the tactics of my assailant ; at one moment 



TIGER STORIES. 



233 



crouched a short distance off upon the ground, he 
would watch the mysterious object much as a cat 
watches a mouse ; then with a sudden spring pounced 
again upon the gourd, thus causing it to roll before 
him like a ball. My only fear was, that the tiger in 
one of these furious onsets might precipitate me into 
the stream below. I was not then aware that water 
in deep rivers reaches no lower than the base of their 
steep banks, which act as support for the whole body 
of water above, thus leaving a clear expanse under- 
neath and the bed of the river entirely dry, a remark- 
able fact which I discovered on another occasion 
when diving in the Orinoco for a lost treasure belong- 
ing to the monks. 

" That which I feared at last came to pass. The 
gourd, pushed by the tiger, fell spinning into the 
water, and I found myself sailing down the stream 
escorted by a band of hungry crocodiles, who 
watched me with eager eyes and open jaws, until 
my patron saint in the form of a humane porpoise 
came to my assistance, frightened off the ugly 
wretches, and receiving me on his back, landed me 
in safety on a desert shore, where, aminos, you will 
have to leave me for the present, as it is almost morn- 
ing, and we must sleep an hour or two before starting 
for the BodeoP 

THE PANTHER-TIGER. 

Although principally a sojourner in the more ele- 
vated parts of the country, the panther is occasion- 
ally seen descending toward the plains in search of 



234 



WILD SCENES IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



the abundant fare of the pampas. He resembles the 
jaguar in many respects, and is called in consequence, 
tigre de serrania, or mountain tiger. He is, however, 
easily distinguished from the former by the shape of 
his head, which in the panther is more acute toward 
the snout, while the spots on his skin are smaller and 
more closely set. 

The panther is by far the bolder and more san- 
guinary of the two ; he frequents the mountain passes, 
waylaying stray animals and solitary travellers ; and 
there are many cases on record in which he has dis- 
played his bloodthirsty propensities by boldly seeking 
food even in the very haunts of man. 

Some of the mountain districts of Venezuela are 
so infested with them, that few travellers ever ven- 
ture to journey alone there ; as, for instance, the mon- 
tana de Capaya, east of Caracas, and the Cerro de 
Aroa to the west, both famed for the number and 
boldness of these animals. Under cover of the dense 
forests with which those mountains are clothed to the 
very summit, they lie in wait. Not long since, a 
traveller from the village of Aroa, finding the dis- 
tance greater than he had anticipated, was compelled 
to pass the night in the forest. Fearing the panthers, 
he slung his hammock between two palm trees as 
high as possible from the ground, hoping doubtless 
thereby to escape them, but his precautions proved 
of no avail ; the poor traveller fell a prey to one of 
these sanguinary beasts. A few days after, a party 
of muleteers passing along the same route, found on 
the spot where the sad tragedy had been enacted, 
evidence of the bloody assault. Deep furrows 



TIGER STORIES. 



235 



ploughed in the ground between the palm trees, 
showed that the panther must have made frequent 
and tremendous leaps to reach the unfortunate travel- 
ler ; but with the exception of the torn hammock, 
there remained no vestige of the victim. 

My first vacation trip from the terrors of a South 
American school and the angry visage of a harsh pre- 
ceptor, is still fresh in my mind, as is also the fright 
I received upon the road from an imaginary panther 
while endeavoring to reach before daylight the near- 
est inn upon the route. 

The road from the capital to the Yalleys of Ara- 
gua — our destination — lies for the most part over a 
high ridge of mountains with precipitous sides, inter- 
spersed here and there with deep ravines and almost 
impenetrable thickets of forest trees, fit lurking-places 
for wild beasts and banditti. The extreme steepness 
of the road renders the aid of mules, or horses of su- 
perior mettle, imperative, and for this exigency our 
attentive guides had well provided before leaving 
Caracas. 

The party was principally composed of young gen- 
tlemen and their attendants, all like myself bound to 
the fertile regions of Aragua, where we purposed pass- 
ing the holidays with our families ; and a wilder set 
of madcaps it would have been difficult to find. 
Every moment witnessed a malicious trick, some- 
times tickling the mules under the cruppers with 
whips, until, worried into frenzy, they plunged fear- 
fully along the road, placing us in danger of being 
hurled into eternity through the yawning chasms be- 



236 



WILD SCENES IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



neath. Sometimes jerking the tail of a neighbor's 
mule, causing the animal to whirl so violently as to 
almost destroy its balance. Occasionally some of the 
party might be seen scrambling up the rugged side 
of a mountain after bright colored insects or wild 
berries. At length, the steepness of the ascent no 
longer permitting the continuance of our pranks, the 
guides entertained us with frightful stories of a tiger 
said to lurk in these mountains ; but chiefly with ac- 
counts of horrid murders perpetrated at various points 
along our route, which, judging from the many crosses 
and stone mounds raised to the victims by the piety 
of wayfarers, must have been truly appalling in num- 
ber. In those parts it is customary to mark the spot 
where a crime of the kind has been committed, with 
a wooden cross, at whose foot every passer-by casts 
a stone, muttering at the same time a prayer for the 
repose of the unshriven soul. One of these memorials 
was erected to a poor fellow, whose throat had been 
cut and body frightfully mutilated for a new poncho 
and a few reals. At another, a tiger had seized a 
wearied poultry carrier imprudently asleep by the 
side of his coop, and devoured him and his chickens. 
In another instance, the tiger appeared suddenly 
among a group of muleteers quietly refreshing them- 
selves by the murmuring waters of a mountain stream, 
and after scattering the affrighted group, helped him- 
self to their repast. 

These stories, told with great vivacity and much 
embellishment, excited in a high degree the fervid 
imaginations of the youthful cavalcade, causing them 
as night approached to keep close together. They, 
however, did not deter me, who had ever a peculiar 



TIGER STORIES. 



237 



fondness for the beautiful in nature, from loitering 
somewhat in the rear of my companion to gaze in 
wondering admiration upon the grandeur and wild 
luxuriance of the scene which on all sides met my 
eyes. Absorbed in contemplation I was riding slowly 
along, when suddenly, and to my great horror and 
dismay, I found myself in presence of, apparently, the 
dreaded tiger of the mountains. My imagination, 
roused by the exciting stories of the muleteers, showed 
me the spotted brute seated upon his haunches, his 
sinister eyes gazing steadily at me over his right 
shoulder. Notwithstanding this pacific attitude, a 
thrill of terror chilled my veins, while in spite of the 
cold prevailing on those mountain ranges, heavy 
drops of perspiration streamed from my trembling 
body. The tiger seeming spell-bound with my sud- 
den apparition, I endeavored to cry aloud for help ; 
but terror had deprived me of voice. I then con- 
cluded to dismount and place the mule between 
myself and the tiger, which impulse was suddenly 
checked as I caught sight of the yawning precipice 
beside me. I had therefore no alternative, other 
than the ignominious one of sliding down in the rear 
of my mule, a feat I rapidly accomplished without in 
the least inconveniencing the patient creature, which 
all the while stood quietly awaiting my pleasure. At 
this moment the moon, until then partially obscured 
by the dense fog, shone brilliantly upon the scene, 
when, to my great mortification and greater relief, I 
discovered that the ferocious tiger of my imagination 
was only the fallen branch of a tree covered with 
leaves, which last my fertile fancy had mistaken for 
the spotted skin of the dreaded mountain tiger. 



CHAPTER XVII. 



SHOOTING ADVENTURES. 



We were now in the very midst of the most splen- 
did shooting ground of the republic, and each day 
my quest after the feathered inhabitants of those fine 
groves was rewarded with an abundant supply of 
pavas, guacharaeas, and that most noble -and beauti- 
ful of all game birds, the pauji or crested curassow 
of South America, (Crax alector.) This fine species 
is found in all parts of the country, especially in the 
woods of the tierra caliente, where it can be tracked 
without difficulty by the shrill and prolonged whistle 
with which it calls its mate, and which can be heard 
from a long distance. It appears not to notice the 
presence of the hunter, allowing itself to be shot 
down without making the least effort to avoid the 
danger. This bird is nearly the same size as the do- 
mestic turkey, and being easily domesticated, could 
very well supply the place of that fowl, as the flesh is 
juicy and of exquisite flavor. Its plumage is pecu- 
liarly rich and beautiful, the head and neck being 
white and the rest of its body of a rich olive brown, 
excepting the wing tips which are black. An elegant 



SHOOTING ADVENTURES. 239 

tuft of curled, glossy black feathers surmounts the 
head, adding greatly to the splendor of its appear- 
ance. In the more elevated parts of the country 
there is another species, the pauji de piedra or 
cashew-bird, so called from a singular excrescence on 
the top of its head, in color a bluish gray, and bear- 
ing some resemblance to a polished nodule of slate. 
This bird only inhabits woods growing at about fourj 
thousand feet of elevation, and if possible exceeds in 
beauty the preceding. Its plumage of a deep black, 
with tints of olive green, contrasts exquisitely with 
that of the bill and legs, which are respectively of a 
brilliant scarlet and deep yellow. They are even 
more easily domesticated than the preceding, and are 
therefore to be met with in many a farm yard of the 
Cordillera, where they form one of its most graceful 
ornaments. 

The guacharaca or South American pheasant may 
also be classed among the finest game birds of Venez- 
uela, and is extremely abundant everywhere. In riding 
along the solitary roads through the plains and fertile 
vales of the tierra caliente, the traveller may have 
often noticed at all hours of the day and even of the 
night, more especially at the approach of rain, a most 
discordant chattering in harsh and shrill notes ; it is 
the song of the guacharaca, a bird of about the size 
of the domestic hen, bearing some resemblance to the 
female pheasant, and like it of a chocolate color. It 
is of a sociable nature, always congregating in flocks 
of twenty or thirty. The moment one of the number 
leads the chant, all the rest join in chorus, uttering 
distinctly in hoarse repetition guacharaca, guacha- 



240 WILD SCENES IN SOUTH AMERICA. 

raca / hence the name of this bird. These cries are 
invariably responded to by all the flocks in the neigh- 
borhood, so that in a short time the whole valley 
rings from end to end with their discordant voices. 
Like all other gallinaceous birds, it is very easily do- 
mesticated with the paujies, pavas, gallinetas, and 
several other w T ild fowl with which the rural inhabi- 
tant loves to stock his yard. 

In addition to the foregoing, there are also in the 
Llanos all kinds of wild pigeons, doves, plovers, and 
quails, the latter so abundant that they can easily be 
killed by the hundred with a stick. And indeed, so 
great is the almost endless variety of fine birds in 
these wilds, that it would be impossible, within the 
limits of these pages, to enter into further detail con- 
cerning them. 

Deer were also very plentiful, both in the mata, 
whither they were attracted by its refreshing shade, 
and in the meadows around it ; but having no dogs 
with us, and being unwilling to tire our horses in un- 
profitable sport, we refrained from their pursuit. One 
afternoon, however, much to my surprise, a merry, 
clever fellow by the name of Casimiro, who had fol- 
lowed us from the valleys, entered the camp bending 
under the weight of a fine doe which he had killed 
that afternoon, together with a buck that an Indian 
boy was carrying for him. On our complimenting 
his extraordinary skill in killing two deer in so short 
a space of time, he informed us that he could have 
brought down any number of them, and intended 
retracing his steps at once for more. This proved no 
mere boast, for quickly returning to the woods, he 



SHOOTING ADVENTURES. 



24-1 



soon after again made his appearance with a similar 
load, which, seating himself by the fire, he at once 
commenced skinning. 

I inquired of Casimiro the occasion of his success ; 
he replied by producing a tube of bamboo about the 
thickness of the thumb, one end being covered with 
a thin membrane. On blowing through the other 
end, a sound precisely resembling the bleating of a 
young fawn resulted. It is in this manner that the 
treacherous hunter decoys the anxious doe, whose 
every motion he watches from the place of his con- 
cealment behind the branches of some tree, usually 
the algarrobo, of whose pods deer are very fond. 
This detestable expedient is, I am glad to state, rarely 
practised unless by hungry sportsmen ; and as we 
were then in the midst of plenty, and venison besides 
not being much relished by the beef-eating popula- 
tion of the Llanos, we had fortunately no occasion to 
resort to it in any of our subsequent deer-shooting 
adventures. 

Another device much practised by Indians in 
these cases, consists in assuming the guise of the 
great garzon or soldier crane of the pampas, whose 
company appears always welcome to deer grazing in 
the open prairie. This crane, which I have mentioned 
in a former chapter, as being at the least five feet in 
height, is mounted upon a pair of long slender legs, 
giving it the appearance of walking on stilts ; their 
plumage is a dazzling white, and they have a pouch 
under the throat of a brilliant scarlet color. The 
bill, too, is quite a remarkable feature, fully a foot 
11 



24:2 WILD SCENES IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



long and very wide at the base, which permits of 
swallowing at a mouthful large fish, as well as frogs, 
toads and snakes, of which last it partakes with equal 
relish. All that the hunter has to do, who intends 
ensnaring his deer with borrowed plumes, is to hide 
his own face with a mask, which must have a long 
bill resembling that of the crane attached to it. The 
mask being securely fastened on, he finishes his toilet 
by covering his body to his knees with a white gar- 
ment. 




In this simple disguise the hunter, equipped be- 
sides with his gun or bow and arrows, makes straight 
for the game, careful however to approach it in a 
contrary direction to that of the wind, deer possessing 
peculiarly acute powers of scent. On one eccasion, 
I was fortunate enough to shoot three of these shy 
animals out of a small herd, before the rest took the 
alarm. 



SHOOTING ADVENTURES. 



243 



Our young attache, Roseliano, who had witnessed 
the universal success of these devices, envying the 
achievements of his elders, determined to try what he 
could accomplish for himself in this line. Accord- 
ingly, choosing for his intended victim a fine stag- 
grazing at no great distance from the camp, he forth- 
with proceeded on his experiment. Having no gar- 
zorfs beak at hand, nor even a white garment, with 
which to personate the feathered dandy of the savan- 
nas, he was for some time at a loss how to approach 
the game without alarming it, when a malicious com- 
panion persuaded him that he could ensnare the deer 
equally well if he presented himself simply in puris 
naturalibuS) assuring him that the animal would in- 
dubitably conceive him to be a rare bird or at least 
a new species of garzon. Roseliano, finally convinced 
by these specious representations, quickly denuded 
himself ; then, gun in hand, and taking all necessary 
precautions in regard to the wind, which was blowing 
quite fresh at the time, immediately gave chase. 

At first the stag appeared to pay little heed to the 
enticing object, and allowed it to approach within 
range ; but the moment the gun was raised, the stag 
turned round and trotted slowly off, waving his short 
tail defiantly. Sometimes he stopped for a little while, 
seeming to examine from head to foot this unfeathered 
biped, afterward resuming his mastications with per- 
fect nonchalance. At such times Roseliano, with 
due precautions, would creep slowly toward him, 
when invariably the deer, almost within range, again 
trotted composedly down the plain, not even giving 
his pursuer a chance to aim at him. Occasionally he 



24:4: ViiLU SCENES IN SOUTH AMERICA. 

would turn about, stamp his tiny hoof upon the hard 
ground, and again move off wagging his little tail at 
him as though to say, " No, you don't." 

Thus went each, still eluding still pursuing, for a 
long distance, without either seeming at all willing to 
part company, until the burning sun began to tell 
upon the bare skin of the young hunter, who expe- 
rienced besides sundry painful reminders from the 
thorny sensitive plants under foot. At length grow- 
ing somewhat desperate, he dashed ahead and sent a 
random shot after the deer without success, the ball 
striking the ground far short of the mark. The deer 
seemed now to think he had received notice to quit, 
for, to the great disgust of poor Roseliano, he at once 
bounded gracefully over the tall grass and disap- 
peared from view. 

"Within a stone's throw of our camp were several 
lagoons abounding in terrapins and turtles, whilst on 
all sides the savannas teemed with many delicious 
quadrupeds. These, on account of their penchant 
for the water, have been declared cold-blooded an- 
imals by the church, and can in consequence be 
eaten as fish ; and as it was Holy Week, a grand 
hunt was proposed for the purpose of providing the 
camp with food which should be wholesome as well 
for the soul as the body. Accordingly, early on Good 
Friday morning the whole disposable force assembled 
in front of the ranch ; and after a partial organization, 
all started on foot in different directions, some in 
quest of cachicamos or armadillos, others for gala- 
pagos and tortoises, while the less fastidious did not 
disdain to try their skill upon those water hogs, the 
ckigiiires or capyvaras. 



SHOOTING ADVENTURES. 



245 



The results of the hunt far exceeded our expecta- 
tion, as in less than four hours nearly three hundred 
armadillos, and probably as many turtles, were 
brought into camp. The flesh of the chiguire is not 
much relished by the Llaneros, although it is excel- 
lent for hams when properly cured and smoked ; 
accordingly the carcasses, the hind quarters being 
removed, were left to the turkey buzzards. 

The flesh of the armadillo is most delicious, tast- 
ing very much like young pig ; and being always 
roasted in the shell — a thick 
cuirass formed of successive 
horny plates — all its juices are 
effectually preserved. It is, 
however, very rich eating, from 
the excess of fatness, and there- 
fore liable to produce indiges- 
tion, if not followed by a good 
dose of aguardiente and a strong 
sauce of Chili peppers. It is also said to exert very 
injurious effects on persons predisposed to syphilitic 
disorders of the system, developing incipient ulcers 
and various other cutaneous diseases. 

The armadillo is a harmless, curiously-formed 
little quadruped, about the size of a common hedge- 
hog ; it burrows in the ground, spending the greater 
part of the day in cool retirement, issuing at dusk or 
very early in the morning in search of food ; this con- 
sists principally of worms, the larvae of insects or per- 
chance a young snake from the broods that take shel- 
ter among the cells of its subterranean abode — whether 
by permission or as intruders, remains to be ascer- 




246 WILD SCENES IN SOUTH AMERICA. 

tained. The fact is, however, that many of these bur- 
rows are so full of snakes, that it is necessary on ac- 
count of them to exercise considerable caution when 
passing near the abodes of armadillos. Two little 
owls called aguaita-caminos, road-watchers, usually 
stand like sentinels at the entrance of these burrows, 
and by their constant nutterings around the sports- 
man, and their uncouth motions, almost invariably 
succeed in warning the armadillo. Nevertheless, if 
the hunter approach in front, he can always secure it 
with his hands as its vision in that direction is entirely 
obscured by the position of the plates with which the 
head is covered. When attacked from the rear or 
sides, it makes quickly for its burrow ; but if the 
hunter, however, be sufficiently expert, he may suc- 
ceed in getting hold of the long, horny tail of the an- 
imal before it disappears entirely from view. Even 
then, as this creature possesses the power of swelling 
its body when thus attacked, it is rather difficult to 
drag it out, unless by some means the size of the bur- 
row can be enlarged. There is then danger of severe 
wounds from its sharp claws, as well as of being bitten 
by some of the poisonous snakes which share its 
home. 

What affinity there is existing between this 
quadruped and the finny inhabitants of the water, 
prompting their classification among amphibia, I was 
unable to ascertain ; but although the capyvara and 
several others placed by the church under that cate- 
gory, possess, it is true, great powers of resistance 
while in water, the reverse is assuredly the case with 
regard to the armadillo, w T hich always seeks the higher 



SHOOTING ADVENTURES. 



247 



grounds so as to escape submersion during the great 
floods ; and I have often found it in the midst of ex- 
tensive plains where no moisture excepting the dews 
of night is to be seen for miles around. 

When all the different parties, participants in the 
hunting excursion, were once more seated round the 
camp fires, it was quite amusing to hear their ac- 
counts of the various incidents connected with it ; 
one had got hold of a rattlesnake's tail, mistaking it 
for that of an armadillo ; another had stumbled over 
a crocodile while diving for turtles in a shallow creek ; 
a third had his toe bitten off by caribes ; while not a 
few experienced more or less severe shocks from elec- 
tric eels. In front of many of the fires, soon blazing 
under the trees, were arrayed on long wooded spits 
entire carcasses of the armadillos split along the belly 
and kept open by means of cross bars of green boughs. 
Directly the coals were sufficiently hot in the centre 
of the fires, the galapagos were all beheaded and 
thrown, still alive, into the midst of the burning em- 
bers. These chelonia, like all other amphibia, are ex- 
ceedingly tenacious of life ; their sufferings, therefore, 
must doubtless be great under this lingering death, as 
was manifested by their long-continued struggles in 
the fire. 

The Llaneros say that these turtles, according to 
their most exquisite gastronomers, should be eaten 
where there is no light, asserting that they will then 
be found more rich and juicy ; but the actual reason 
for this, as I afterward ascertained to my great dis- 
gust, was that some of the choicest morsels are pre- 



248 



WILD SCENES IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



cisely those which to be eaten must not be seen, 
as otherwise they would unhesitatingly be rejected. 

There are several varieties of fresh water tortoises 
in the Apure, an abundant and wholesome food for 
the inhabitants. The most common are the galapagos, 
a large species of terrapin, the terecay and the arrau 
or great turtle of the Orinoco, concerning which the 
celebrated Father Gumilla wrote in his " Orinoco II- 
lustrata," that " it would be as difficult to count the 
grains of sand on the shores of the Orinoco, as to 
count the immense number of tortoises which inhabit 
its margin and water. Were it not for the vast con- 
sumption of tortoises and their eggs, the river Orinoco, 
despite its great magnitude, would be unnavigable, 
for vessels would be impeded by the enormous multi- 
tude of tortoises." 

Without presuming to question the emphatic as- 
sertion of this reverend father of the long beard and 
gown, never having visited the shores of the Orinoco, 
I will venture to assert of the galapagos that they 
alone could furnish man in the plains of Apure for 
ages with an inexhaustible supply of food, even were 
all other sources cut off. To convey an idea of the 
prodigious abundance of this species, it may suffice to 
say that by merely driving a herd of wild cattle or 
horses at full speed into any pond of these savannas, 
the first wave produced by the sudden splash will 
heave up thousands of turtles upon the beach. 
Another method resorted to in the Llanos for obtain- 
ing them, is by raking in the soft mud in which these 
chelonia habitually bury themselves the moment they 
are alarmed. After this mud becomes thoroughly 



SHOOTING ADVENTURES. 



249 



dried by the summer's heat, they remain under its 
indurated crust in a dormant state until the com- 
mencement of the rainy season. Yet even here the 
poor creatures are insecure, as they are not unfre- 
quently roused from their siesta by the hunter setting 
fire to the dry water plants, the ornaments of these 
natural ponds ; at such times breaking through the 
earth crust which environs them, they in vain en- 
deavor to escape their tormentors, who can then pick 
them up at their leisure. 

In addition to the foregoing, there are two other 
varieties of tortoises found amidst the marshes and 
jungles of the Llanos ; they are the morrocoy or land 
tortoise, having a hard and rounded shell, and the 
jicotea, an animal which appears to form the con- 
necting link between turtles proper and tortoises ; 
both are of excellent flavor, more especially the for- 
mer, whose liver, dressed and fried in its own gall, is 
undoubtedly superior to that most prized of all epi- 
curean morsels, foie gras. It is very large as com- 
pared with the size of the animal, decreasing however 
very materially if its owner has had a long fast, which, 
as this reptile, like all others of the class, can and does 
frequently live a long time without food, has doubt- 
less occasioned the popular error that it feeds on its 
own liver when long deprived of other nourishment. 

During the season of great droughts, the morrocoy 
seeks the hollow trunks of trees for shelter, where it 
lives entirely without nourishment for several months, 
until, feeling the dampness produced by the first 
showers of spring penetrating his subterranean abode, 
he moves slowly out to browse upon the tender shoots 
11* 



250 WILD SCENES IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



of water plants and prairie lilies. The shell of this 
tortoise is so hard that nothing short of heavy blows 
from an axe can separate the thick plates of which it 
is formed, and a locomotive engine might pass over it 
without producing the least effect upon its unimpres- 
sible tenant. Long after the carcass has been cut up 
for cooking, and is in water boiling over the fire, the 
pieces are incessantly in motion, and it is not until 
the boiling has been continued many successive hours, 
that the meat is fit for eating. 

The land tortoise does not deposit its eggs in the 
sand, as is the practice with its congener of the water, 
but drops them indiscriminately into any convenient 
hole, leaving the care of hatching them to the heat of 
the earth. The egg, which is larger than a hen's, is 
extremely white, spherical in form, and very hard. 
The male is readily distinguished from the female by 
a deep depression of its pectoral plate, that of the 
female being perfectly even with the ground. 

I have been assured by reliable parties that the 
blood of the morrocoy is a specific for neuralgia, if 
rubbed, while still warm, upon the part affected. 



CHAPTER XVIII. 



MATA TOTUMO. 

Little was accomplished in the way of hunting 
during the two weeks we passed at Mata Gorda, oc- 
cupying ourselves mainly in building a ranch for the 
establishment of a caporal and his family, with cor- 
rals attached, sufficiently spacious to accommodate a 
large drove. Other parts of the estate requiring im- 
mediate attention, we removed from Mata Gorda to 
Mata Totumo, a retired corner of the savannas, whose 
proximity to other cattle farms exposed it to the con- 
stant depredations of poachers. In this way vast 
numbers of our cattle were annually lost to us ; it 
had accordingly become necessary to establish there 
also a Fundacion, or small farm with a resident capo- 
ral, who should exercise a strict surveillance and take 
charge of a small herd of tame cattle as a nucleus for a 
permanent settlement in that exposed frontier. 

Hardly were we established in the new encamp- 
ment, when a party of our men in scouring the sa- 
vanna encountered a band of these cattle poachers, 
who had already collected a sufficient drove to make 



252 



WILD SCENES IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



them comfortable to the year's end, and were hasten- 
ing home with their unlawful booty. Our people 
immediately gave chase, but succeeded in capturing 
two only of the robbers. After whipping these most 
unmercifully, as is customary in the Llanos for similar 
offences, and giving them in addition the positive as- 
surance that, if again found within the precincts of 
the estate, they would fare even worse, the rascals 
were at length allowed to depart without further 
punishment. 

As usual in all our prairie encampments, much 
time was occupied in destroying baneful weeds and 
reptiles. Snakes especially were so plentiful as to at 
times greatly endanger our barefooted community. 
That habit is second nature, was certainly strikingly 
exemplified in the present instance, for in a few days 
we came to notice the heretofore dreaded snakes as 
little as though so many harmless earthworms. Our 
fears, if not their cause, being at length entirely re- 
moved, we next erected a shelter from the inclemency 
of the weather for our abundant luggage, no small 
cause of anxiety, situated as we were at a long dis- 
tance from the source of any fresh supplies. After- 
wards we commenced raising corrals for our increas- 
ing herds. Fortunately building materials were very 
abundant ; and the bamboo, that graceful represen- 
tative of the grasses, was of the greatest utility. Its 
tall and pliant stems afforded all that was necessary 
for rafters and fence rails, serving also various other 
uses. To duly estimate the size attained by this giant 
grass of the tropics, it is necessary to understand that 
some stems reach the astonishing height of thirty 



MAT A TOTUMO. 



253 



or even forty feet, with a corresponding thickness 
of six or seven inches at their base ; and as these 
bamboos spring in immense clusters from the ground, 
they grow at last into an aspect which- is truly beau- 
tiful. Innumerable slender leaves of a delicate sea 
green color, clothe in masses the tops of these huge 
stems, curving them downward by their weight, and 
giving them, especially when sporting with the soft 
breezes of the pampas, the appearance of waving 
plumes of most magnificent proportions, rising, bend- 
ing, swaying in long, graceful sweeps over the tops 
of the surrounding trees. An elegant writer, describ- 
ing this majestic Queen of the Grasses, has beauti- 
fully said, " Grace, delicacy, richness of form and 
color, every element of vegetable beauty, appear com- 
bined in this luxuriant dweller by the streams of the 
tropics. Nothing is more cheerful to the eye of the 
heated and w r earied traveller, than the deep rocky 
basins formed by mountain streams when filled with 
water, and overshadowed by clumps of bamboo. 
They often lean over the stream on one side and arch 
the pathway on the other, excluding almost every 
ray of sunlight from the cool recesses below. Their 
delicate brittle leaves are stirred by the tiniest zephyr, 
and bend to the pressure of the butterfly and the bee. 
Sometimes clumps of bamboo stand on either side of the 
roads and form long vaulted passages, as if by fretted 
Gothic arches, with here and there branches of ricli 
.lowers and leaves hanging down like beautiful cor- 
bels. When the gale of the hurricane comes, these 
groves of bamboo exchange an aspect of beauty for 
that of grandeur. They are heaved and tossed like 



254 WILD SCENES IN SOUTH AMERICA. 

the billows of the sea, and their rich foliage driven in 
every direction appears like surges breaking on the 
rocks." 

No sooner was the majada in readiness, than we 
commenced the somewhat laborious, but at the same 
time pleasingly exciting business of filling it, for 
which purpose we called upon the neighboring cattle 
farms of La Yagua and Caucagua for assistance. So 
effectual were our efforts, that in a few days we had 
collected two thousand animals for the brand, most 
of which, having long passed the age when this oper- 
ation is usually performed, gave us in consequence a 
great deal of trouble. Occasionally, by way of relax- 
ation from our labors, we busied ourselves in training 
the boys in the manly art of torear, or the scarcely 
less dangerous one of breaking in wild horses, on 
which especially the hardy dwellers of the Llanos 
eminently pride themselves. During our sojourn at 
Mata Totumo, its owner became concerned in an in- 
cident highly illustrative of this peculiar pride, so uni- 
versal a trait among these children of Nature and the 
Sun, illustrative no less of the almost entire freedom 
from conventional restraint which exists between 
master and servant in the Llanos. Our Leader had 
taken a strong fancy to a beautiful cream colored 
horse, which, although partially trained to the saddle, 
missed no opportunity of practising some of his old 
tricks, a favorite one being apparently to unseat, 
whenever possible, his rider. This amusement he 
several times indulged in at the expense of his master, 
and, as it chanced, always in presence of his pet cap- 



MATA TOTUMO. 



255 



oral, Sarmiento, who invariably gave carte blanche 
to his own witticisms on such occasions. To these 
the good-humored master replied one day by chal- 
lenging him to ride the horse round the camp on a 
run without being thrown, a dollar to be added to his 
wages if successful ; if the reverse, the same amount 
to be thereafter deducted. " Done," cried Sarmiento, 
extending his hand familiarly to his master ; and 
without more words, having blindfolded the horse by 
means of a sliding leather strap attached to the bridle, 
called tapaojos, he placed upon him his own saddle 
and holsters, and the next moment was firmly seated 
on his back. Then, removing the bandage, he at 
once commenced belaboring the refractory stallion 
with his chaparro, showering such powerful blows 
upon his haunches, that the terrified animal rushed 
headlong through the camp, rearing, plunging, and 
tearing along the plain at a fearful pace. All in vain 
were the efforts of the nigh frantic steed to shake the 
unmerciful Centaur from his back ; the poor animal 
had to strive against one with whom contention was 
ineffectual, and who finally brought him back tri- 
umphantly to the camp as submissively meek as he 
had previously been savage and refractory. 

Shortly after our arrival in that secluded spot, 
came the Corporation of Mantecal, under whose juris- 
diction we were, accompanied by many of the inhabi- 
tants, to pay their respects and personal regards to 
the former chieftain of the Llanos and late President 
of the Republic, tendering him at the same time the 
hospitalities of the town — a few straggling huts. It 



256 W1LD SCENES IN SOUTH AMERICA. 

was a surprise party, nevertheless we acquitted our- 
selves with becoming hospitality. Two fat calves were 
immediately slaughtered ; and these, together with 
numbers of armadillos, galapagos, and a fine sow from 
the swamps near by, formed a banquet not unworthy 
a London board of aldermen. A hastily constructed 
table, its top made from laths of bamboo and tied 
with hejucos or creepers to four rough posts set in the 
ground, was soon raised under the trees ; the broad 
leaves of the wild plantain formed the table cloth, 
while the shells of galapagos served the double pur- 
pose of plates and dishes, entirely in keeping with the 
rural entertainment. 

Here, as well as at Mata Gorda, game was most 
abundant, and we could at all times count upon a 
ready supply with which to vary the more substan- 
tial dishes. Deer were plentiful in the surrounding 
woods ; but I found them, after killing several, too 
thin at this season to be worth hunting, especially as 
the savannas were teeming with the finest cattle and 
wild hogs ; the latter are in good condition at all 
times, and each day our men brought to camp the 
spoils of one or more capones hanging from the sad- 
dles. 

The ant-bear or great ant-eater, a stout and power- 
ful animal measuring six feet from the snout to the 
end of the tail, also ranged these prairies ; but al- 
though his flesh is well-flavored and easily procured, 
it is never used for food, owing to his repulsive ap- 
pearance. " He is chiefly found in the inmost recesses 
of the forest, and seems partial to the low and swampy 
parts near creeks, where the trocly-tree grows. There 



MATA TOTUMO. 



257 



he goes up and down in quest of ants, of which there 
is never the least scarcity, so that he soon obtains a 
sufficient supply of food with very little trouble. He 
cannot travel fast ; man is superior to him in speed. 
Without swiftness to enable him to escape from his 
enemies ; without teeth, the possession of which would 
assist him in self-defence ; and without the power of 
burrowing in the ground, by which he might conceal 
himself from his pursuers, he still is capable of rang- 
ing through these wilds in perfect safety ; nor does 
he fear the fatal pressure of the serpent's fold, or the 
teeth of the famished jaguar. Nature has formed his 
fore-legs wonderfully thick, and strong, and muscular, 
and armed his feet with three tremendous sharp and 
crooked claws. Whenever he seizes an animal with 
these formidable weapons, he hugs it close to his 
body, and keeps it there till it dies through pressure, 



258 



WILD SCENES IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



or through want of food. Nor does the ant-bear in 
the meantime suffer much, from loss of aliment, as it 
is a well-known fact that he can go longer without 
food than, perhaps, any other animal, excepting the 
land-tortoise. His skin is of a texture that perfectly 
resists the bite of a dog ; his hinder parts are pro- 
tected by thick and shaggy hair, while his immense 
tail is large enough to cover his whole body." * 

Numerous also were the foot-prints of the jaguar ; 
yet, in my frequent perambulations through the forest, 
it was never my fortune to encounter this despot of 
the howling wilderness, although I one day mistook 
for his voice that of the titiriji or great horned owl 
of the pampas. I found him perched among the 
branches of a guamo tree, inclining his large head 
toward me with a scrutinizing look peculiar to those 
birds, as if taking mental notes of my appearance. 
"Whenever I remained perfectly quiet he gave utter- 
ance to his unearthly hootings, the woods echoing 
and re-echoing the dismal sounds. The titiriji would 
seem to be possessed of some ventriloquial power, for 
his voice, loud and deep as it was, yet appeared to 
issue from a distance. The frequent effect of this pe- 
culiarity is to mislead the unaccustomed hunter, who 
by it is readily induced to wander on and on in un- 
availing search. Having contemplated at leisure this 
singular bird, I finally levelled my fowling-piece at 
him, and brought him down with a charge of buck- 
shot which I had destined for a deer. It proved a 
very fine specimen, with wings as large as those of a 

* Waterton's " Wanderings in South America." 



MATA TOTUMO. 



259 



good sized turkey, while two horn-like tufts of feathers 
rose on each side of the head, which, in addition to 
the large, glaring eyes, gave him a truly ferocious 
aspect. His food consists of all kinds of wild fowl ; 
however, not being over scrupulous, he devours with 
equal relish rats, mice and snakes ; while even mon- 
keys of the smaller sort are often his prey. This owl 
inhabits for the most part the loneliest and gloomiest 
portions of the forest ; but is occasionally seen sol- 
emnly watching from some convenient tree-top the 
various inhabitants of the farmyard. 

The guamos were now in full bearing, their lus- 
cious beans a grateful refreshment to the heated and 
thirsty rambler through the woods. Monkeys and 
macaws are particularly fond of this bean ; and on 
the tops of all the highest guamo-trees could be seen 
family reunions of these chatterers apparently discuss- 
ing the merits of the crop. 

Of monkeys there are two kinds in the pampas, 
viz. the araguato or howling monkey, (Simia ursina,) 
conspicuous in the forest from its extraordinary vol- 
ume of voice, and the machango, (S. sajous,) a small 
gray monkey very common in other parts of the coun- 
try. On account of its wonderful agility and viva- 
city, this last is much esteemed as a pet by the inhab- 
itants, many of whom keep one or more tied to a post 
in the court-yard, where they enact to some extent 
the role of buffoon to the whole family. They are, 
however, very mischievous creatures, doing every 
possible damage in the house the moment they are 
at large ; but are especially destructive to cacao plan- 



260 



WILD SCENES IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



tations and cornfields. When about to commence 
their depredations in these, they usually assemble in 
great numbers and exercise many precautions ; the 
first step is to station several of their number as sen- 
tinels upon the highest trees, or any elevated situation 
overlooking the avenues leading to the plantation, 
whence they warn the others of approaching danger. 
The next proceeding is that of placing those of the fe- 
males — which on account of their young are prevented 
from assisting in the foray — in some safe retreat. The 
precautions completed, they invest the cornfield in 
earnest, pulling down the stocks and tearing off ears 
of corn with astonishing expedition, chattering, laugh- 
ing,, and yelling all the while like a set of mischievous 
boys in the absence of the dominie. "When they have 
accumulated a sufficient number of ears, they split 
the husks, and tying them in pairs by means of an 
ingenious knot peculiar to themselves, called in con- 
sequence monkey-tie, they throw them across their 
backs, and thus equipped hasten to hide their booty 
in some safe nook difficult of discovery by the neglect- 
ful majordomo, who not unfrequently conceals his 
own defalcations in the yield of the plantation by 
ascribing the deficiency to the thieving monkeys. It 
often happens that while these last are engaged in 
their depredations, they are surprised by the owner 
of the cornfield, who, eluding the vigilance of the 
scouts, suddenly appears and pours a shower of shot 
into their midst. Then with shrill cries of alarm the 
whole troop scamper off helter-skelter, tumbling, 
pitching or hobbling along on all fours, but never 
dropping a particle of their plunder. The belief ob- 



MATA TOTUMO. 



261 



tains in the Llanos, that when at length safe in their 
haunts, the careless sentinels are arraigned before a 
council of elders, who after due deliberation condemn 
them, after which the guilty parties are tied to a tree 
and soundly whipped. 

No less remarkable is their ingenious method of 
crossing torrents and other minor streams which they 
often encounter in their ceaseless perambulations 
through the forest. As among men, all cannot swim 
with equal facility, so it is also with monkeys ; accor- 
dingly the leaders of the troop, generally the strong- 
est of the party, climb to the spreading branches of 
some tree projecting over the stream ; one of them 
then twists his tail firmly around a branch, and let- 
ting his body hang, seizes upon the tail of the nearest 
comrade, who in his turn performs the same operation 
with the next, and so on until a sort of chain or living 
pendulum is formed, which in obedience to the laws 
of equilibrium oscillates slowly but constantly from 
their combined efforts to reach the opposite bank. 
This finally achieved, the last monkey secures him- 
self to the most convenient tree. The others of the 
chain, now disengaged from the tree at the opposite 
side of the stream, wade through the water, each 
helped by his neighbor, assisted likewise by the cur- 
rent. Some are, however, occasionally drowned, the 
last one in the chain especially, which circumstance 
has probably given rise to the popular proverb, el 
ultimo mono siempre se ahoga — the last monkey is 
sure to be drowned. Sagacious as these animals un- 
doubtedly are, it is often very easy to entrap them. 
One of the simplest methods consists in cutting a 



262 



WILD SCENES IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



number of holes in a gourd barely large enough to 
admit of squeezing in the monkey's hands. The 
gourd thus prepared is filled with corn and secured 
to the trunk of a tree, then shaken violently for a 
time so as to attract the attention of the monkeys, 
and a few grains of corn scattered in the neighbor- 
hood of the trap. The gourd is in fact the dinner 
bell of the monkeys, which no sooner hear the well 
known sound, than they descend in great numbers 
from their aerial homes, and each in turn seizing the 
gourd, grasps through one of the holes a handful of 
corn. But in vain do they struggle to withdraw their 
hands without relinquishing the prize ; and at this 
critical moment, the concealed author of their mishap 
suddenly makes his appearance, and tying their hands 
carries them off to his cottage in the woods. 

More taciturn and retiring in his habits than the 
preceding, the araguato — a large reddish monkey of 
the ring-tail genus — exhibits none of those mischiev- 
ous tricks which characterize the former, never ap- 
proaching the haunts of man nor ravaging the fields 
of the industrious farmer. His only food consists of 
wild fruits, gathered as, with astonishing rapidity, he 
springs from branch to branch. All the limbs of this 
great monkey are admirably adapted to his roving 
habits ; in tiiese he is assisted very materially by his 
long prehensile tail, which acts the part of a fifth 
hand. 

The roar of the araguato is so extraordinary, that 
persons who hear it for the first time invariably ima- 
gine it that of the jaguar. I think I may assert with- 
out fear of mistake, that it can be heard at the dis- 



MATA TOTUMO. 



263 



tance of three miles, especially in damp and cloudy 
weather. "The Indians pretend," observes Hum- 
boldt, " that when the araguatos fill the forest with 
their howlings, there is always one that chants as 
leader to the chorus. The observation is pretty ac- 
curate. During a long interval one solitary and 
strong voice is generally distinguished, till its place 
is taken by another voice of a different pitch. We 
may observe from time to time the same instinct of 
imitation among frogs, and almost all animals which 
live together and exert their voices in union. The 
missionaries further assert that when a female among 
the araguatos is on the point of bringing forth, the 
choir suspends its howlings till the moment of the 
birth of the young. I could not myself judge of the 
accuracy of this assertion ; but I do not believe it to 
be entirely unfounded. I have observed that when 
an extraordinary incident — the moans, for instance, of 
a wounded araguato — fixed the attention of the band, 
the howlings were for some minutes suspended. Our 
guides assured us gravely, that ' to cure an asthma, 
it is sufficient to drink out of the bony drum of the 
hyoidal bone of the araguato? This animal having 
so extraordinary a volume of voice, it is supposed 
that its larynx must necessarily impart to the water 
poured into it the virtue of curing affections of the 
lungs. Such is the science of the vulgar, which 
sometimes resembles that of the ancients." 

The araguato is about two feet and a half long, 
exclusive of his tail, which is still longer than his 
body, and with features more closely resembling those 
of man than any other species I am acquainted with. 



964 WILD SCENES IN SOUTH AMERICA. 

The face of this singular monkey is nearly concealed 
by a sandy, bushy beard, extending below and project- 
ing considerably beyond his chin, giving him a very 
dignified appearance. So striking is their resem- 
blance to the human species, that once, after having 
shot one, I almost felt as though I had committed a 
murder. When I raised the poor creature from the 
ground upon which he had fallen, his large grey eyes 
were bathed in tears, and every feature expressed the 
deepest agony. Casting upon me a most eloquent 
look of reproach, he endeavored to push me aside ; 
but too much enfeebled by his wound, lay down and 
calmly resigned himself to the scrutinizing gaze of 
my English companions, who discussed and disputed 
about the division of his still panting body — one 
wanting the skin for a smoking cap and the drum of 
the throat for the bowl of his pipe, while the other 
would be contented with nothing less than the whole 
carcass. For my own part, I only desired to get out 
of sight of the dying creature ; and shouldering my 
gun, departed in a mood which determined me never 
again to lift my hand against these innocent wild men 
of the woods. 

MANTEOAL. 

In compliance with an invitation tendered to the 
General and his suite by the good people of Mantecal, 
we started in a few days to visit their village, not far 
distant from our encampment. When within three 
miles of the place, we were welcomed by a large con- 
course of the inhabitants coming to escort us. Al- 



MAT A TOTUMO. 265 



most the whole population turned out, saluting our 
entry into the town with the firing of blunderbuses 
and other firearms, and further gracing it with a most 
discordant uproar of rickety harps, violins, and ban- 
dolas, enough to have driven frantic the " Enraged 
Musician " of Hogarth. 

Mantecal was at one time quite a flourishing town, 
notwithstanding the wars which ravaged it for many 
successive years ; but since the great epidemic of 1832, 
and subsequently, it has been well nigh depopulated, 
while the few inhabitants who were not swept away 
by the scourge, abandoned their homes. Thus the 
once busy community became almost a dismal wil- 
derness, 

" Where at each step the stranger fears to wake 
The rattling terrors of the vengeful snake." 

At the time of our visit to Mantecal but few 
houses remained standing, sad monuments of past 
prosperity. We spent three days there, and the in- 
habitants, hospitable in spite of their miserable con- 
dition, entertained us to the utmost of their ability. 
Not only did they provide the best accommodations 
the village afforded, but treated us in addition to a 
nightly fandango, in which people of all castes and 
conditions joined. These festivities ended, we gladly 
returned to our prairie home, the more especially that 
the important duties we had there to perform would 
probably delay our return to Maracay several weeks 
longer ; also the rainy season was fast approaching 
and each day we had warnings of the coming tempest 
then brewing in the south. 
12 



266 



WILD SCENES IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



We continued to hunt those savannas while there 
were any orejanos to brand, adding largely in the 
meantime to our stock of reserved oxen for the mar- 
kets of the upper country, which had already in- 
creased to a considerable drove. We also made sev- 
eral excursions to the neighboring cattle farms for 
the purpose of separating from their herds all the 
orejanos whose mothers bore our brand. Judging 
from the number of calves there collected, and with- 
out taking into consideration those yearly discarded 
by the mothers, it was easy to perceive that the rev- 
enues of those estates were greatly increased at our 
cost, their original stock being vastly inferior to ours. 
In this manner many of the minor cattle farms en- 
riched themselves at the expense of wealthy neighbors. 



CHAPTER XIX. 



MATIYUEE. 

Having by this time completed our arrangements 
at Mata Totumo, we broke up our camp on the 15th 
of March and departed for Los Laureles, the ancient 
site of another cattle farm, now quite deserted, on the 
banks of the river Matiyure. 

We found the house in ruins, and only a few re- 
maining posts marking the boundary of the former 
corrals. The first duty, therefore, was that of repair- 
ing the fences, an operation which necessitated sev- 
eral days' hard labor. Meanwhile I found much en- 
joyment in exploring the woody banks of the river, 
the wildness of whose aspect had for me a peculiar 
charm. They were my daily resort, where, encom- 
passed by the glorious solitude, I essayed to picture 
for others those lovely scenes which still perfume the 
shrine of memory in all their dewy freshness. To one 
who loves " the cool sequestered haunts of Nature," 
no spot could be more charming, nothing more in- 
spiring than to recline under the venerable shade of 
some wide-branched guamo uplooking to the many- 



268 WILD SCENES IN SOUTH AMERICA. 

tinted clouds as .the y sweep in solemn majesty be- 
neath the blue veil of heaven, and seem to melt into 
the tree tops in the distance — trees whose gigantic 
height and size, wall with magnificent vegetation the 
steep banks rising on either side of the river, mirrored 
in its tranquil surface. The harsh scream of the 
heron, or the ominous hootings of the tiger-owl, alone 
wake the echoes where else 

""All things are calm, and fair, and passive — Earth 
Looks as if lulled upon an angel's lap 
Into a breathless, dewy sleep." 

Yet is this beautiful river celebrated for the num- 
ber and size of its crocodiles. As I sat sketching on 
the banks, I could perceive them gliding slowly under 
the still waters, the upper part of the head alone 
visible, and seeming to watch me with an evil eye. 
The beach being strewn with their egg shells, I con- 
cluded this to be a favorite resort with them during 
the breeding season. The female lays about eighty 
eggs in a hole which she digs in the sand, leaving to 
the hot sun the care of hatching them. These eggs, 
twice as large as those of the turkey, are considered a 
great delicacy by the Indians and jaguars, who fre- 
quently purloin them before they are hatched. 

The caricari is another great enemy of young croc- 
odiles, attacking them as they come out of the shell. 
After they betake themselves to the water, the older 
ones, prompted no doubt by motives of family pride 
to keep them within their own circle, swallow these 
tender members, thus preventing all other intimacies. 
Notwithstanding this admirable provision of Divine 



MATIYURE. 



269 



Wisdom, and a constant war maintained by man and 
beast against them, they are so numerous in some 
charcos of the river that, if stationary, their bodies 




would completely bridge its surface from bank to 
bank. 

Despite their great voracity, the mother exhibits 
some degree of tenderness toward her offspring. Pos- 
sessed, in this case, of an instinct almost infallible, 
she returns at a period when incubation is completed, 
and assists her young in extricating themselves from 
the shell. Unlike the eggs of birds, crocodiles' eggs 
are soft and pliable as those of the turtle, yielding, 
when handled, to the pressure of the fingers, yet so 
tough that it is difficult to break them, and in ap- 
pearance resembling white parchment. At the very 
moment of liberation, the young crocodiles display 
their savage nature in a wonderful degree, biting at 
every object within reach ; also the same vicious pro- 
pensity is exhibited by those extricated even before 
the completion of incubation. I was once greatly 
amused in watching a struggle between two caricaris 



270 



WILD SCENES IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



and one of these youngsters not larger than a good- 
sized lizard. Each time the birds made a dash at 
him, this little saurian, grunting savagely, darted for- 
ward with wide-open jaws, looking for all the world 
like a young dragon. During ten minutes the strug- 
gle continued without decided advantage on either 
side, when one of the assailants, changing his tactics, 
suddenly seized the crocodile by the neck with his 
sharp claws and soared triumphantly with him into 
high air. , There loosing his hold, the bird followed 
his descent with wonderful rapidity, prepared, when 
he reached the ground, to repeat the blow ; but 
already half stunned, the victim soon yielded to su- 
perior cunning. 

When the savannas are overflowed by the swollen 
rivers, these carnivorous and malicious reptiles spread 
themselves over the face of the country, committing 
great havoc among young animals. So destructive 
had they proved to the calves and foals on this estate, 
that the owner on one occasion offered a reward of 
half a dollar a head for every crocodile killed upon his 
lands, it being sufficient for the claimant to produce, 
in evidence of success, the two great tusks of the 
upper jaws. The result of this ukase was, that before 
the expiration of a month, more than four hundred 
crocodiles had been destroyed ; yet no sensible dimi- 
nution was observable, neither did the persevering 
dragonade against them quench in the least their 
boldness. This expedient proving useless, they had 
been suffered to remain unmolested until our arrival 
at Los Laureles, when we determined to exterminate 
those at least which infested that pass of the river 



MATIYURE. 



271 



where we performed our daily ablutions and watered 
the horses. Accordingly, one day a party of us, well 
provided with every necessary, started for a bend of 
the river where the water appeared to be very still 
and deep. None of the usual angling implements 
were required in this sport ; w T e used only a strong 
lazo and a hoop about three feet in diameter made 
from a light vine common on the banks of these 
rivers. Around this hoop the fresh lungs of a bul- 
lock, cut into thin strips, were twisted and securely 
fastened. The running noose of the lazo was then 
laid over the bait and tied there with tendrils from 
the same vine. All being ready, this simple decoy 
was launched into the middle of the stream, we re- 
taining on shore the other end of the lazo. Aroused 
by the splash, two large crocodiles soon appeared and 
rushed for the bait with open jaws. The successful 
one, in his eagerness to escape with his prize, burst 
the slender vines that secured the noose to the hoop, 
which last projected beyond his snout, and the noose 
on its recoil sliding over, firmly lazoed his upper jaw. 
With shouts of exultation we hastened to the assist- 
ance of the man who held the lazo, seeing him unable 
to cope with the monster, more than a match for half 
a dozen men. By our united efforts we finally suc- 
ceeded in dragging him to within a few feet of the 
embankment, when, catching sight of our earnest 
faces watching him over the cliff, he tossed up his 
head with such sudden violence as to pull the thong 
through our hands to its full length, and retreated in 
triumph to the middle of the stream. The tough 
hide, however, from which the thong was twisted, 



272 



WILD SCENES IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



proved equal to the emergency, and with one more 
strenuous effort we succeeded in landing him upon 
the beach, while 

" Le flot qui l'apporta, recule epouvante. n 

Some of us who never before had so near a view 
of these vicious creatures, were astonished at its size 
and strength, and our Esculapius, assuming an appear- 
ance of bravery, approached among the first to con- 
template the vanquished foe, but evidently quaking 
with apprehension of the huge tusks before him. His 
terror at length proving stronger than the dread of 
his companions' gibes, he seized the lazo, tugging 
with such desperate energy to close the fearful chasm 
that the thong slipped from his hands, he lost his 
balance, and the next moment found himself lying 
almost within reach of the still open jaws. From 
these, notwithstanding a considerable corporeal im- 
pediment, he escaped by springing with the agility of 
a cat up the embankment, where he remained, per- 
haps to ascertain whether the poet's statement that 
" distance lends enchantment to the view," was cor- 
rect by the crocodile case before him. At length the 
object of his regards almost ceased struggling, sure 
sign that his strength was failing ; then with one 
more pull we hauled him partially out of water, but 
no power could force him entirely therefrom, as each 
time on reaching the bank he braced his fore feet with 
unconquerable strength against it, so forcing himself 
back into the stream. In this predicament we had no 
other resource than to despatch him, and two or three 
sharp blows of a hatchet administered by the roguish 



MATIYURB. 



273 



Roseliano, severed the tipper jaw, with its beautiful 
row of teeth, from the head, a surgical operation per- 
formed under the supervision of our eminent Escula- 
pius. The patient expired — no doubt to the Doctor's 
relief — not on his hands, and the "subject" was 
abandoned to the myriads of caribes which, although 
their teeth could produce little impression upon his 
tough cuirass, feasted with avidity on his blood so 
long as it flowed from his mutilated head. 

We prepared a large supply of bait in like manner 
to the former, all of which was seized by the hungry 
crocodiles with the same fatal results to them. In the 
short space of three hours we succeeded in killing 
six large ones, and could no doubt have destroyed a 
greater number, had not the lazo been gnawed 
through by caribes, that pest of all rivers in this 
region. 

Our men secured a large supply of fat from the 
intestinal membrane of the crocodiles : a sovereign 
remedy for bruises and cutaneous diseases among 
horses. By exposing this fat to the sun, in horns 
slightly punctured at the end, a fine oil equal to that 
of the whale, is obtained by percolation and collected 
in basins placed under the horns. 

Selecting the jaws of the dead crocodiles contain- 
ing the finest tusks, we distributed the latter among 
our friends for tinder boxes and amulets. It is uni- 
versally believed throughout the Llanos that the 
tusks, when worn next the flesh of man or beast, will 
preserve the wearer from the poison of snakes, espe- 
cially if obtained on Good Friday. For this reason 
the smaller ones, set in gold or silver, are worn sus- 



274 



WILD SCENES IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



pended from the rosaries which form one of the prin- 
cipal ornaments of the people in those parts. It is 
further believed that rings made of the same material 
will apprise the wearer, of poison mixed in any 
draught by causing an instantaneous effervescence 
of the liquid. The supposed efficacy of these poten- 
tial talismans was once peculiarly tested in our own 
camp. 

Among the few luxuries carried by our commis- 
sariat into the Llanos was a basket of champagne, 
which was reserved for state occasions. One after- 
noon, while almost every person was enjoyiug his 
siesta, the temptation seized one of our men to search 
for aguardiente among the jpetacas. His good fortune 
discovered to him our little treasure of champagne, 
and grabbing a bottle he at once commenced cutting 
with his dagger the wires that secured the cork. Up 
this flew at last with a loud report, which broke the 
dead silence of the camp and started to their feet 
more than one drowsy slumberer. 

Our thief, seeing the profuse effervescence gushing 
out with great force, endeavored at first to arrest it 
by clapping his hands over the mouth of the bottle ; 
but suddenly recollecting that he had on one of those 
mysterious tusk-rings, the suspicion flashed to his 
mind of poison intended for el amo, the master ; and 
when in addition to this the bewildered knave per- 
ceived that apparently the more he endeavored to 
confine the liquid, so much more it frothed and bub- 
bled, he was overpowered with terror, shrieking out 
in an ecstasy of horror, " Ave Maria Purisima ! 



MATIYURE. 



275 



Help! Help! cristianos y this aguardiente must be 
poisoned, or else the devil is in it." 

On hearing these cries, every one sprang from his 
hammock, imagining the camp attacked by a band 
of malhechores, and the would-be thief was thus 
caught in the very act. 

As he was, however, out of his wits with fright, 
he escaped with only a mild reprimand, the more 
especially that we enjoyed several hearty laughs at 
his expense. Futile were our efforts at convincing 
the frightened fellow that champagne was very good 
drink ; he evidently distrusted all our assertions. 
Some was then poured out and drank, and the bottle 
passed round ; but when it came to his turn, he per- 
sistently refused to touch it. On being asked whether 
his surprise and repugnance arose from seeing the 
liquid rushing out of the bottle, his reply was, " Oh, 
no, Senores ; I am not surprised to see it coming out, 
but how the devil did it get in ? " 

With the intention of finishing a sketch of one of 
the crocodiles, I next day revisited the battle field, 
and to my surprise discovered the absence of one of 
the dead bodies ; but presently perceived the mailed 
carcass floating at some distance on the water. I was 
for some time at a loss to discover what had occa- 
sioned his change of position, and I finally concluded 
that its comrades must have given him honorable in- 
terment in the deep. Desiring to ascertain, if pos- 
sible, the facts of the case, I determined to conceal 
myself near by and keep close watch. I had been in 
hiding only a few moments when at least half a 



276 



WILD SCENES IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



dozen crocodiles approached the deceased, not, as I 
had imagined, to monrn his loss, but to feast upon 
the many fish in their turn gorging themselves upon 
the body. Then, almost to my horror, I beheld these 
monster insatiates rend in pieces and devour the mel- 
ancholy remains of the dear defunct with grunts of 
revolting satisfaction. Nor did I perceive in this case 
any of those " crocodile tears " with which travellers 
tell us it is their hypocritical habit to bedew the head 
of a human victim. It is said that when they have 
devoured a man, finding themselves unable to swal- 
low his head, they convey it to some secluded spot 
on the river banks, there to weep over and bewail 
their inability with cries which make night hideous. 

The size and appearance of crocodiles must be 
sometimes most extraordinary, if we may credit our 
adventurous friend B., who boasted so intimate an 
acquaintance with their habits, that one could easily 
imagine such familiarity might breed contempt. 
Judge, O reader, if I speak not truly. 

He related that one day, having labored success- 
fully until noon in his piscatory pursuit, overcome 
by fatigue and the intense heat of a tropical sun, he 
turned his longing eyes toward shore in search of 
some friendly shelter ; but perceiving that, between \ 
him and the only copse of trees which relieved the 
glaring scene, there stretched a dreary waste of burn- 
ing sand, he had not courage to traverse, even to reach 
so tempting a goal — he sought a refuge more acces- 
sible. This to his great joy he just then discovered in 
the form of what appeared to be the wreck of an old 
canoe thrown on its side near the water's edge. Here 



MATIYURE. 



277 



was a cool retreat wherein to enjoy his siesta ; so 
hastening toward it, his satisfaction was complete on 
finding it sufficiently capacious to admit of slinging 
to the protruding ribs his chinchorro, or grass ham- 
mock, which, with his guitar and gourd of aguar- 
diente, were his inseparable companions. Kefreshing 
himself with a good pull at the gourd, and stretching 
himself in his hammock, he soon slept the profound 
sleep of the weary. He awoke to find himself envel- 
oped in a darkness which he might have supposed 
that of midnight, but that it was unrelieved by moon 
or friendly star. Completely bewildered, he sought 
a clew to this dark mystery by moving forward with 
cautious steps and extended hands, uncertain into 
what horror his next movement might betray him, 
when his surprised attention was attracted, first to 
the spongy nature of the ground,, then to the clammy 
yet warm and sticky walls that on all sides encoun- 
tered his extended fingers. The discovery of these 
facts was accompanied by the very unpleasant con- 
viction that he had mistaken the open jaws of some 
sleeping crocodile for an old bongo. However, with 
his recovery from the first shock of surprise returned 
the stoicism so characteristic of his race, which was 
the more entirely reinstated by finding his well-filled 
gourd with his beloved guitar lying near. Notwith- 
standing, however, a reviving draught from the for- 
mer, he soon became conscious of a void in his inter- 
nal economy, which he at once determined to fill at 
Mr. Crocodile's expense ; thereupon drawing his 
knife, he without the least compunction made a meal 
from the tenderest morsels within reach. And so 



278 



WILD SCENES IN SOUTH AMERICA, 



MAT1YURE. 



279 



eating, drinking, sleeping and timing his diminutive 
guitar to the cheering strains of some lively ballad of 
the Llanos, he remained for days, he knew not how 
many, an uncomplaining prisoner within those slimy 
walls. At length, while mournfully draining the last 
remaining drop within his faithful gourd, his dungeon 
walls were suddenly made visible to him by a faint 
ray of light which penetrated his very soul with the 
desire once more to behold its source. Snatching at 
the dear companions of his imprisonment, without 
another moment's delay he rushed for the opening 
that admitted the life-giving ray, and discovered to 
his delighted surprise that his jailer, having deserted 
the water for a siesta upon the sands — which he recol- 
lected was the occasional habit of these monsters — 
had left wide-open his prison doors. These he lost 
no time in passing, seizing with firm hand as he flew, 
his chinchorro, still suspended from the crocodile's 
tusks he had so almost fatally mistaken for the ribs 
of an old canoe. 

The precise duration of his captivity, B., with a 
praiseworthy fear of exaggeration, never ventured even 
to surmise to us, merely stating the fact that when 
he lay down for his siesta the moon was in full dress, 
and when freed from his hideous jail, Her Majesty 
had in her turn retired for a nap. 



CHAPTER XX. 



THE CIMAEEONEEA. 

"We had been apprised that between a great bend 
of the river Matiyure — forming the southern bound- 
ary of our savannas — and an extensive flat overgrown 
with thorny bushes, there existed what the Llaneros 
call a cimarronera, or great hiding place for cattle, 
which, owing to the impenetrable nature of the jun- 
gle, had from time immemorial baffled the efforts of 
every majordomo who had hunted these savannas. 
Further we had ascertained that the cattle were there 
as numerous as a colony of ants ; but so savage and 
shy, as to never venture from their wild sanctuary. 
Thither our efforts were to be directed, not only on 
account of the good harvest in store, but also for the 
purpose of breaking up, if possible, that den of runa- 
ways which, if left unmolested, might in time become 
a serious obstacle in the way of reducing those wild 
herds to at least a partial submission. 

The corrals, which I trust the patient reader has 
not forgotten we were in process of building, being 
now ready, we commenced preparations for a descent 



THE CIMARRONERA. 281 

upon the fierce hordes of that neglected section. Mes- 
sengers were therefore despatched to the people of 
Caucagua, an adjacent cattle farm, apprising them of 
onr intention, and with the dawn of day more than 
an hundred hunters were assembled on the spot. 
Among them were some of the best enlazadores that 
the country could produce, all of whom, like the val- 
iant Pentapolin — chosen model of the hero of La 
Mancha — had his right arm bared to the shoulder 
that the wide sleeve of the Llanero shirt might not 
interfere with the management of the lazo. 

As soon as the sun was high enough to light us 
through the bushes, a detachment of hunters pene- 
trated the bristling maze of thorny acacias, and suc- 
ceeded in driving out into the open savannas so large 
a herd of cattle that it soon swelled to a considerable 
rodeo. No sooner, however, did they discover the 
presence of the hunters, than becoming frantic they 
rushed from side to side like a band of furies, and, 
heedless of the shouts and goads of the horsemen, 
broke at length through the ring of even these expe- 
rienced hunters, scattering again in all directions. In 
vain did the fearless pursuers throw themselves be- 
tween the wild mass and the jungle ; so rapid and 
entire was the dispersion that the plain which but 
now swarmed with the driven, bellowing, maddened 
creatures, was cleared as if by magic, leaving the dis- 
appointed hunters in sole possession. Only here and 
there a faint cloud of dust in the distance betrayed 
the course that some of the fugitives had taken. The 
men, enraged at this unexpected discomfiture, could 
not be restrained from again entering the tangled 



282 



WILD SCENES IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



labyrinth and dragging thence by sheer force a num- 
ber of the refractory brutes. After deliberation, it 
was decided that several of the hunters should scour 
the plain in search of the runaways, while the larger 
number rushed again fearlessly into the jungle. 
These at last succeeded in securing several fierce 
bulls, each of which was treated secundum artem, de- 
priving them of the chance of doing much mischief in 
future ; for no sooner were they down, than the knife 
and the saw were busy with their horns, ears, &c. 
But the business was not accomplished without the 
usual average of casualties m these contests, and on 
that occasion one of our best hands was greatly im- 
perilled. A ferocious bull was undergoing the usual 
precautionary, though severe measures, for his sub- 
jugation, when one of the men standing near, acci- 
dentally became entangled in the coils of the lazo at 
a moment when the bull, infuriated, escaped from 
those who held him. The poor fellow, although 
thrown violently to the ground and severely stunned, 
almost miraculously escaped further injury. The 
daring Sarmiento, one of those who witnessed the 
transaction, enraged at sight of his helpless compan- 
ion, sprang from his horse, seized the sheep-skin 
which covered the saddle, and holding it before him- 
self, fearlessly advanced sword in hand to meet the 
bull, which, not comprehending the challenge, stood 
panting and trembling with rage before his bold ad- 
versary. The matador perceiving this, approached 
him more closely and shook the sheep-skin in the 
animal's face ; then, firm as a rock, he stood and 
dauntlessly awaited the coming struggle ; it was 



THE CIMARRONERA. 



283 



enough ; with head lowered to the ground, and lash- 
ing himself furiously with his powerful tail, the bull 
rushed upon his antagonist with a terrific roar, causing 
every heart to tremble for the safety of the bold mat- 
ador. Then we heard a heavy fall, a deep groan ; 
we saw only a cloud of dust that concealed the scene ; 
but we knew the Llanero had conquered. Trium- 
phant shouts of approbation filled the air, whilst I 
knew not whether most to applaud the fearless grace 
with which the man had stood his ground before this, 
the most powerful of all infuriate creatures, or the 
dexterous celerity that had found, and with one fatal 
blow penetrated, the narrow passage through the ver- 
tebrae into the spinal marrow. But the scene in that 
remote corner of the earth recalled forcibly to my 
mind the spirited lines in which the author of Childe 
Harold thus depicts one of like nature in the midst 
of refined Europe : 

" Foiled, bleeding, breathless, furious to the last, 
Full in the centre stands the bull at bay- 
Mid wounds and clinging darts and lances brast, 
And foes disabled in the brutal fray : 
And now the matadors around him play, 
Shake the red cloak, and poise the ready brand : 
Once more through all he bursts his thundering way- 
Vain rage ! the mantle quits the conynge hand, 
Wraps his fierce eye— 'tis past— he sinks upon the sand ! " 

Those who had galloped off in search of the scat- 
tered herd finally returned, bringing a large addition 
to the stock, and we were driving them to the para- 
dero, when our Leader's horse, a fiery charger of the 



284 W1LD SCENES IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



Goagiro breed,* little accustomed to the broken 
ground of the pampas, lost his footing and fell with 
him while endeavoring to clear an extensive terro- 
nero. Fortunately his rider received no injury ; but 
loosing hold of the bridle in his fall, the horse was 
soon careering over the plain, and would inevitably 
have made good his escape, had not some vaqueros 
hunting in that direction encountered and captured 
him after a long race. Accidents of the kind are 
very common in the Llanos, and often in consequence 
many persons are killed or otherwise injured. The 
least evil to which the ousted rider may be subjected, 
is that of being left alone, perhaps with a dislocated 
limb, on an extensive plain, where the unfortunate 
may perish from hunger or exposure before assistance 
chances to reach him. Our friend B., who once 
found himself similarly circumstanced, related to us 
on this occasion the adventure, which he swore by 
all the saints in the calendar had actually occurred 
to him. "Not withstanding such exalted referees, a 
few grains of doubt still disturbed our belief. 

" He was once," he said, " engaged in hunting 
with a party of vaqueros on the extensive savannas 
of Merecure, which form the great canon or pampa 
between the rivers Cunaviche and Arauca. Having 
started in the morning with a full complement of 
men, there was no difficulty in forming the rodeo / 
but, as in our own case, all their manoeuvres proved 
ineffectual in keeping together so great a number of 
untamed brutes, which finally broke through the 

* Raised by a warlike tribe of Indians inhabiting the peninsula of 
La Goagira, on the Gulf of Maracaibo. 



THE CIMARRONERA. 



285 



ranks as easily as might a herd of wild hogs through 
a field of reeds, and vanished in the distance. So 
great was the cloud of dust they raised, that when it 
cleared, B., whose horse during the confusion had 
stumbled in the hole of a prairie-owl, thrown, and 
then deserted him, found himself solus in the midst 
of the wide pampa, and so bewildered and confused 
by the general stampede, that he was totally unable 
to discover the least clew by which to guide his steps 
over those trackless wilds. Overcome with the fa- 
tigue of his useless search, he threw himself upon the 
ground, finally quite disheartened by the recollection 
that he had no lazo by which he would have been 
enabled at any time to secure sufficient animal food 
for his subsistence. Two whole days he thus passed 
hopelessly wandering and in search of food, when, 
upon the third, kind Providence, compassionating his 
sufferings, placed in his way a fat calf, which he suc- 
ceeded in capturing after a short chase. Having 
slaughtered it, he roasted the whole at once lest it 
might spoil, then ravenously devoured the welcome 
repast. This supply lasted several days, when again 
finding himself minus food, he determined to put in 
practice a stratagem that he had devised whereby to 
secure for himself in future an unfailing supply 
of wholesome nourishment. He had observed the 
mother of the calf, apparently in search of her off- 
spring, lingering in the neighborhood, moaning and 
bellowing in a most piteous manner. Availing him- 
self of the first eligible opportunity, he approached 
her on all fours, entirely covered with the skin of her 
own calf, and forthwith commenced drawing suste- 



286 WILD SCENES IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



nance from the maternal fount ; this he accomplished 
with so much natural ease and grace, that the tender 
mother, after a few incredulous sniffs, felt convinced 
at last of his being a perfect calf, and accepting him 
for her own, bestowed upon him a good licking. Thus 
graciously encouraged, and each day more delighted 
with the unrestrained freedom of his new life, time 
rolled on and a year elapsed without his ever regret- 
ting the loss of home or friends ; while so powerful 
was the effect of this novel mode of existence upon 
his person, that it had materially altered his whole 
appearance, and as the calf skin seemed to have ac- 
tually adhered to his own, so he found himself rapidly 
assimilating, as well in tastes as habits, to that inter- 
esting quadruped. 

About this period the majordomo undertook 
another hunt on these plains, where he quickly suc- 
ceeded in collecting a large number of cattle ; but 
although they were all, as usual, extremely difficult 
to manage, still there was one of the number, a 
young bull with a fine pair of horns twelve inches 
long, more refractory and troublesome than any of 
the others, which fact — as B. was the bull — was owing 
probably to his educated instincts, they enabling him 
to devise a variety of expedients for the discomfiture 
of his pursuers. However he was at length obliged 
to yield to superior numbers, and the unerring lazo 
finally brought him struggling to the ground, when 
in an instant one of his captors, an athletic sambo, 
had drawn his knife and commenced sharpening it 
upon the horns of this novel minotaurus, preparatory 
to performing upon him the usual necessary oper- 



THE CIMARRONERA. 



287 



ations. But what language can do justice to the as- 
tonishment of all beholders, when the apparent bull, 
casting aside his hairy disguise, sprang erect from the 
ground, exclaiming as he did so : " Stop, amigos ! 
can you have forgotten your old comrade B., who 
was lost a year ago in this cimarronera f " 

So perilous an adventure having convinced him of 
the risks attending a savage life, his companions had 
no difficulty in persuading him to return home with 
them, and thereafter found him of immense assistance 
in their expeditions, as, being perfectly familiar with 
the haunts and habits of the cattle in that cover, he 
could lead the vaqueros, when required, with the 
sagacity of a pointer. 

This story, which B. related with the most admir- 
able ingenuousness of manner, recalled to his recol- 
lection a wonderful discovery upon which he had 
chanced, while journeying on a pressing errand to 
Arauca. 

He had been riding hard all day across the plains, 
until at length, overtaken by night, he was constrained 
to encamp on the spot. Grass and water for his 
horse — a fine trotter — being abundant and at hand, he 
took no precaution to prevent his straying, other than 
that of fastening the animal's feet on the right side 
with a manea, a strap with looped nooses at both ends. 
In spite of this the horse wandered from him during 
the night, a mishap which compelled poor B. to finish 
the remainder of the journey on foot, besides being 
obliged to carry the ponderous saddle upon his head. 

Having accomplished his errand at Arauca, and 
after an absence of several weeks, he was returning 



288 



WILD SCENES IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



home by another route, riding a hired animal, when 
to his great joy, on the way he fonnd his steed in fine 
condition, and his feet still secured by the strap. The 
horse he was riding being already tired, he removed 
the saddle to the back of his own steed, and imme- 
diately mounted him. But to his overpowering as- 
tonishment, he discovered, on resuming the journey, 
that the gait of his horse had undergone an extraor- 
dinary change, trotting as formerly on the side that 
had remained free from the strap, but ambling on the 
one which had been so long confined by it. His wife 
possessing an ambler, he sold it immediately he 
reached home, it being thereafter a useless expense, as, 
whenever in the future he and his better half wished 
to ride at the same time, all that he had to do was to 
place her on the ambling side, and then seating him- 
self on the other they trotted and ambled away to 
their hearts' content. 



CHAPTER XXI. 



LOS BOEALES. 

A ware of the importance of a plentiful supply of 
water for the cattle during the season of drought, we 
resolved to build a large reservoir in the heart of the 
savannas before leaving the pampas, and with this ob- 
ject now turned our steps toward the lagoon of Los 
Borales — so named in honor of a species of water lily 
very abundant on its borders — which, although quite 
a lake during the rainy season, often lost its waters 
by evaporation and other causes when most needed. 
This required a dam to be raised across one of the 
many creeks traversing these plains in all directions, 
to arrest the flow when the floods begin ebbing, thus 
leaving an artificial reservoir where previously only 
m extensive bog existed. .."We installed ourselves 
within the shelter of a solitary grove, and imme- 
diately commenced raising an embankment to several 
feet above the level of the plain, taking the earth for 
the purpose from the bed of a creek connecting with 
the lagoon. Digging to the depth of twelve feet, we 
came upon a tree with trunk and branches in perfect 
13 



290 



WILD SCENES IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



preservation, which, although it had evidently been 
thus entombed for ages, a breath of air had power to 
crumble into dust. As from the time of our arrival 
it had rained unceasingly, the water rapidly accumu- 
lated in the now completed reservoir, though our sat- 
isfaction received something of a damper from the 
fact that the fires were thereby constantly extin- 
guished, until we bethought ourselves of erecting 
over them a covering of green boughs about three 
feet from the ground. Upon this we laid large pieces 
of meat, which, covered with palm leaves, were speed- 
ily cooked by the fire beneath. 

In that retired and solitary grove, seated on a 
pack-saddle, and surrounded by lazos, bridles, and 
other emblems of our peaceful occupation, I wrote 
under the dictation of my father, his emphatic refusal 
to accept the Presidency of the Republic for a third 
time. Little did we then dream that this spontaneous 
act of political abnegation would be hailed with ex- 
ultation by his enemies, in the hope of working, as it 
did for a time, his ruin as well as that of the Repub- 
lic ; and that the same plains where occurred this 
disinterested proof of patriotism, should shortly after- 
ward witness a scene of bloodshed and persecution 
to him w T ho, not long before, had been the acknowl- 
edged guardian of his country's liberties. 

Thunder storms were now of frequent occurrence. 
One night we were awakened by a fearful clap from 
the approaching tempest. The prospect was not in- 
viting. Sheltered in our hammocks only by our tol- 
dos, and raising among us all but a very small um- 
brella of philosophy, we awaited the coming storm, 



LOS BORALES. 



291 



In a moment it was upon us with a raging wind that 
threatened to overthrow and crush us beneath the 
falling branches of the trees. Then from the heavens 
descended so continuous a sheet of commingled fire 
and flood, that these at last appeared to become a 
part of the atmosphere we breathed. Terrified by 
this fearful uproar, our madrina of supernumerary 
horses, which, fearing the snakes, we had quartered 
in the bed of a dried-up lagoon, dashed madly across 
the plain, in spite of the combined efforts of their 
keepers. But no sooner had these refractory animals 
abandoned the secure pastures for the high grounds, 
than, attacked by snakes, three of them paid with 
their lives their insubordination, and one of these un- 
fortunates was afterward brought staggering into the 
camp, groaning piteously. Unable in the darkness 
to discover the cause of his sufferings, a light was 
speedily procured by igniting a rag rolled in fat, 
when a most revolting spectacle presented itself ; the 
poor beast, so covered with blood that he appeared 
literally to have been plunged into a bath of gore, 
had evidently been bitten by a snake, possibly the 
same which in killing the others had probably nearly 
exhausted its poison upon them, so that what re- 
mained of the venom had not power to produce im- 
mediate death, but effected a complete diapedesis or 
transudation of the blood. A curandero present un- 
dertook to restore the poor animal by means of the 
famous oracion, but on this occasion his skill was 
vain — the horse in a short time expiring, apparently 
in great agony. The groans of the dying animal, the 
thundering of the others along the waste, the shouts 



292 WILD SCENES IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



and curses of their pursuers, who in the darkness 
were in danger of being trampled under the feet of 
more than three hundred frightened animals, mingled 
with the appalling fury of the elements, until it seemed 
as though earth and heaven were struggling for the 
mastery. This fearful scene oh, my unhappy coun- 
try ! shadowed forth but too faithfully thy dark night 
of despotism ; the anarchy, contentions, and wretched- 
ness of thy children ; thy ravaged borders, where the 
" Wise and Good " had formerly scattered plenty 
over the smiling land, and portrays now to me as faith- 
fully the night when I, with a handful of brave youths 
from Maracaibo, was surprised upon the borders of its 
lake by the myrmidons of the tyrant Monagas, and 
carried prisoners to the capital while endeavoring to 
save the remnant of constitutional liberty in the re- 
public. 

Our men, finding it impossible during the dark- 
ness to trace the horses — among them all of those used 
for the saddle — were obliged to postpone their search 
until sunrise. At length, as if wearied with its wild 
orgies, this tumultuous night passed away, and the 
morning star appeared leading the timid dawn. The 
earth, so late the dark abode of chaos, now in bloom 
and beauty, seemed the favored daughter of the 
spheres, sparkling in liquid gems, and radiant in the 
gorgeous splendor of tropical spring, while myriads 
of white lilies, far as eye could reach, mantled the 
plain, flooding with perfume the pure morning air. 
Countless flocks of waterfowl, from the tiny guiriri 
to the soldier-like crane of the pampas, crowded the 



LOS BORALES." 



293 



miniature lakes, which the late storm had left in 
every hollow of the ground, and made the air re- 
sound with their harsh and varied notes. Conspicu- 
ous among these last were the several species of 
garzas — herons — those " Ladies of the waters, delicate 
in form, beautiful in plumage, and graceful in their 
movements," whose slender, arching necks, curving 
here and there above and through the sprouting 
grass, reminded one of the deadly snakes lurking 
about the plain. There, too, the carrao, a bird less 
prepossessing in appearance, but endowed with keen 
perception of a coming change of weather, announ- 
ced by loud cries, from which it derives its name, 
the near approach of rain with singular precision. 
Clouds of fluttering gav iotas or scissor-beaks (Rhyn- 
chops) skimmed the water in wild, irregular flight, 
ploughing up the smaller fish with their scissor-like 
beaks, and vexing the ear with harsh and piercing 
cries. On all sides bellowing herds of cattle and 
troops of emaciated deer wandered, panting as they 
sought for water and fresh food ; while, rescued from 
the torpor into which the protracted summer drought 
had plunged them, the drowsy crocodiles and slug- 
gish tortoises moved slowly over the plain in search 
of the reviving element. 

It was no easy task to keep the fires burning after 
the deluging showers of the previous night, in con- 
sequence of which we were threatened for a while 
with starvation in the midst of plenty, as not only 
had our temporary kitchen been destroyed, but every 
log of wood was drenched with water ; so were also 
our scanty garments and ponchos, most of them being 



294 



WILD SCENES IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



likewise in a few hours covered with the larvae of 
myriads of flies which infested our camp. These 
petites miser es were, however, forgotten for the mo- 
ment in the all-absorbing topic of the whereabouts of 
our runaway horses. Happily the Llaneros, accus- 
tomed from their infancy to observe the instincts of the 
animals surrounding them, possess a sort of intuitive 
knowledge — with them it might be called a science — 
of their movements and impulses. 

In following the trail of stray animals amidst 
thousands intercepting each other in every direction, 
it is of course necessary to determine the right one in 
order to prosecute the search with some degree of 
success. The long experience and sagacity of our 
sturdy majordomo, whose word was considered in- 
fallible in such matters, were of incalculable advan- 
tage on this occasion. Calmly seated on his ham- 
mock, his weather-beaten countenance turned toward 
the far horizon, he assembled around him the wearied 
watchmen of the missing drove, still drenched by the 
late tempest ; and directing each squad as to the 
probable course followed by the separate groups of 
horses, he ordered them to disperse over the plain in 
pursuit of their uncertain errand. As the subsequent 
results proved, on the afternoon of the following day, 
it was executed with gratifying punctuality ; and 
here I may be permitted to utter a passing word of 
praise in behalf of these hardy cavaliers of the desert 
plains, upon whose courage and sagacity often de- 
pends, not only the success of such expeditions, but 
sometimes even the fate of a whole army, whose pro- 
gress would be seriously endangered without a com- 



LOS BORALES. 



295 



petent body of cavalry to procure the necessary sup- 
ply of beef. Scantily provided with raiment, poorly 
paid, and the simple fare of the Llanos for rations, 
they are at the post of duty at all hours, in the hot 
sunshine of day, or " in thunder, in lightning, and in 
rain " by night, always cheerful and happy, providing 
they have with them their inharmonious guitar and 
plenty of tobacco with which to satisfy their appetite 
for stimulus of some sort. Among the various duties 
of their vocation, one of the hardest to which they 
are subjected is that of keeping a constant watch over 
the cattle at night to prevent their dispersion, as they 
are compelled to remain for hours on horseback and 
" wide awake." In order to accustom the cattle to 
the voice of their nocturnal guardians, a constant 
chant in a peculiarly plaintive strain, in which cattle 
seem rather to delight, is kept up until morning, 
when only a few horsemen are necessary to retain 
them within the grazing ground. Should the unruly 
herd, despite their vigilance, take alarm, as is often 
the case, or evince any symptoms of uneasiness, the 
first care of the men is to close in, in circle, and if this 
prove unavailing, they place themselves at the head 
of the stampede, in order to check, if possible, the 
progress of the affrighted multitude ; but woe to the 
unfortunate watchman whose horse, missing his foot- 
ing, throws his rider, for he will be trampled to death 
in an instant ! 

One afternoon we were apprised by a special mes- 
senger from El Frio, that a tall, red-faced Englishman 
had arrived from the Orinoco, bringing any quantity 



296 WILD SCENES IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



of fire-arms, ammunition, and — what appeared most 
extraordinary to our informant — a genuine negro ser- 
vant who could speak English. As no written com- 
munication had been despatched along with the 
bearer of this unexpected piece of intelligence, we 
had not an idea of who this British Kimrod might be. 
We, however, hastened to welcome the stranger, and 
for the purpose left Los Borales next morning for 
head-quarters. On arriving, we w T ere most agreeably 
surprised at meeting no less a personage than Lord 
James Butler, now, as I understand, Earl of Or- 
mond. We then recollected that the previous year, 
when his lordship had honored us with a visit at our 
home in the valleys of Aragua, he had promised that 
should we carry out our projected expedition to the 
pampas, he would meet us there. Accordingly, in 
expectation of this, he had quitted Barbadoes — where 
he was stationed with his regiment — in his yacht for 
the river Orinoco. There he left it and prosecuted 
the remainder of the voyage in a clumsy bongo, up 
the Apure, arriving at San Fernando nearly a month 
after quitting Ciudad Bolivar. At the former place 
he was advised to proceed to Achaguas, where he 
would most likely hear of our whereabouts. Obtain- 
ing there the requisite information, he immediately set 
out for our cattle farm, distant about fifteen leagues ; 
but instead of providing him with a guide across the 
trackless waste, he was merely furnished with a re- 
fractory mule, which they assured him would take 
him to the next cattle farm, whence he would be di- 
rected onward. He had not proceeded far on his 
solitary way, when the vicious animal, taking fright 



LOS BORALES. 



297 



at a prairie-owl just as night was approaching, sud- 
denly whirled round, and my lord, despite his long 
legs and English horsemanship, lost his balance, was 
dismounted, and, what was worse, left to shift for 
himself in the midst of a wide plain ; the mule, finding, 
perhaps, the load rather too much for him, scampering 
off without even a parting compliment. Nor was his 
sable squire at hand to render him the requisite assist- 
ance, as he had been left behind in charge of the 
numberless accoutrements for the chase. Fortunately 
a peon accidentally encountered the mule on his way 
home, and knowing the tricks of the animal, secured 
him, and brought him back to the discomfited trav- 
eller. 

His lordship related this adventure with much 
humor, and on our expressing regret that he had met 
with so disagreeable a contretemps, he coolly replied 
that he scarcely considered it in that light, and rather 
regretted its speedy termination as having, possibly, 
deprived him of some curious experiences. 

Although the best room in the house had been 
prepared for his accommodation, we observed with 
surprise that when night came, he insisted upon 
having his hammock slung in the open air. This, we 
afterward discovered, was in consequence of his great 
horror for the murcielagos clinging in clusters to the 
thatch-roof of the house ; and I must confess also that 
the guest-chamber in our Manor of the Pampas had 
few attractions, and could offer none of the allure- 
ments of the d/ulce domo to his lordship of Kilkenny 
Castle. Wines or delicacies of any kind we had 
none ; but as we were well aware that the hospitable 
13* 



298 



WILD SCENES IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



Englishman always offers some choicer beverage than 
water to his guests, we caused an old corozo-palm tree 
standing in front of the house to be cut down, and 
from it we procured every afternoon a plentiful sup- 
ply of palm- wine. To obtain this, a trough is scooped 
out in the upper part of the stem among the footstalks 
of the leaves ; the opening is then covered with the 
square piece of bark just cut out, and the wine or sap 
allowed to accumulate in the trough during the night. 
A few hours are sufficient to produce a pleasant vinous 
fermentation with a sweetish taste and a flavor sim- 
ilar to that of Malaga wine ; but if left to ferment for 
a longer period, it acquires decidedly intoxicating 
properties. 

Although our sports were nearly over at this time, 
we endeavored to entertain our distinguished visitor 
as well as circumstances would permit. We escorted 
him several times to the savannas in search of game, 
and even got up a rodeo and branding frolic for his 
special amusement, with both of which he appeared 
highly delighted. During the excitement of the 
rodeo he had another adventure, similar to that I 
have already related as having occurred to my friend, 
Mr. Thomas, with a wild bull, and which came very 
near proving more disastrous than his lordship's pre- 
vious one with the refractory mule. We had just 
surrounded a large herd of cattle, when, like the 
artist, inspired by the excitement of the chase and its 
accompanying scenes, Lord James seized his sketch- 
book and commenced to delineate them. He had 
not been long thus occupied, when a bull, attracted 
perhaps by the commanding attitude of the draughts- 



LOS BORALES. 



299 



man, broke through the ring, and made at him with 
fury in his eyes. Unconscious of danger, he contin- 
ued his occupation with as much composure as if at a 
stag-hunt in the "West Riding of Yorkshire. It was 
too late to render him assistance, and we watched the 
issue with breathless anxiety ; but the bull, apparent- 
ly awed by the immovable attitude of the rider and 
his fearless composure, contented himself with making 
a tremendous demonstration at the breast of the horse 
without either touching him or his rider, and then, 
turning tail, vanished in the distance. It was highly 
amusing to hear his lordship inquire the meaning of 
all that flourish of trumpets, when a witty Llanero, 
standing near, replied to him that it was evidently 
intended as a salutation from the wild multitude to 
the honored guest. 

Startled by the noise and rush of so many animals 
over the plain, the foxes — in the pursuit of which 
Englishmen are so lavish of trouble and expense — 
could be seen running to and fro, endeavoring to 
escape ; no sooner did the noble son of Albion dis- 
cover that this favorite game was also to be found in 
the pampas, than he abandoned the exciting hunt of 
the wild cattle for the first fox that crossed his path. 
He had not proceeded far, however, when another fox, 
and then another, and finally a legion of them offered 
to his eager pursuit. Bewildered by so many bushy 
tails, he gave up the chase in disgust ; and I am 
sorry to state that this species of embarras de richesse, 
spoiled sport for him in all his subsequent sorties, 
excepting when, on a visit to the creek of Macanillal, 
we " caught a tartar " in the shape of a full-grown 



300 



WILD SCENES IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



crocodile, which we mistook for a young one. This 
adventure, however, afforded him a good deal of 
amusement, and some surprise to those engaged in 
the undertaking. It so happened that only the end 
of the reptile's tail was out of water in a very shallow 
spot, the rest of its body being entirely buried among 
the roots of a large stump. Judging from the ap- 
parent smallness of the tail that we could easily drag 
out the creature, and his lordship having expressed a 
desire to obtain the specimen for preservation, Rose- 
liano immediately volunteered his services. He tried 
in vain, however, to bring it to light unassisted, 
whereupon a lazo was brought into requisition, and 
having noosed the tail therewith, we succeeded in 
pulling the reptile out of its hiding-place, when, to 
our great astonishment and trepidation, we discov- 
ered that it was a large and full-grown female croco- 
dile with a brood of young ones among the roots of 
the old tree. She struggled furiously in defence of 
her brood, several of which we captured and pre- 
sented to our guest ; but when the time came for dis- 
posing of the mother and recovering the lazo, we found 
that it would prove no child's play, inasmuch as she 
had full command of her jaws. After several ineffec- 
tual attempts to stab her while in water, we succeeded 
at length in dragging her partly from her lair, and 
then only were we enabled to unfasten the noose. A 
stab or two in the armpits, causing a flow of blood, 
speedily brought the caribes to finish the job, after 
which we returned to the house, much gratified at 
having rid the creek of this dangerous family. 

On our way back I met with a severe accident, 



LOS BORALES. 



301 



and narrowly escaped serious injury from it. We 
were cantering along a beautifully level piece of 
ground, covered with short grass ; this suggested to 
my English friends the idea of testing the relative 
swiftness of our horses. Oil we at once started, and 
had proceeded but a short distance, when we found 
our way obstructed by a dried-up creek. The English- 
men, as a matter of course, delighted, leaped it at a 
bound ; but my pony, not being sufficiently strong to 
clear the obstruction, missed the opposite bank and 
fell, rolling over with me into the ditch. I was a 
good deal bruised in consequence, and the house 
being still at considerable distance, suffered intensely 
in reaching it. This accident prevented me from 
joining in the other sports devised for the entertain- 
ment of our noble guest, who, however shortly after- 
ward bade us adieu and returned to the sea coast. 
He preferred, on this occasion, the route through 
Nutrias and Barinas, that he might escape the tedious 
descent of the rivers ; a messenger was therefore de- 
spatched to Ciudad Bolivar, ordering his yacht to 
meet him at Puerto Cabello. Disabled by my recent 
mishap, I could not, much to my regret, accompany 
him ; a guide of his own selection was, however, fur- 
nished in the person of our negro troubadour Quin- 
tana, for whom his lordship had evinced a decided 
predilection, even extending to him an invitation to 
visit " Old England," the friend and protector of be- 
nighted Africa ; but we could not spare him for so 
long a trip ; and as Llaneros have an innate aversion 
to trusting themselves on unknown waters, the ac- 
quaintanceship terminated on the borders of the Ca- 
ribbean Sea. 



CHAPTER XXII, 



INCIDENTS OF THE WAR OF INDEPENDENCE. 

After the departure of Lord James Butler from 
El Frio, we began to think that it was also high time 
for us to be getting ready for our return homeward. 
The task of retracing our steps, however, was not an 
easy thing to accomplish with three thousand oxen to 
look after, besides the other animals we brought 
there ; and this in the face of the approaching inun- 
dation of the savannas. 

As soon as our preparations were completed, we 
took our final departure from El Frio, which perhaps 
we were destined never to revisit, stopping at San 
Pablo for a few days to make further arrangements 
at the pass for crossing the river with our immense 
train of animals and baggage. On our way to San 
Pablo, we were nigh being put to rout, and our * 
labors scattered to the winds, by an invasion of a 
small bloody fly termed mosquilla^ which makes its 
appearance at the commencement of the rainy season, 
and which, for destructiveness to flesh and blood, sur- 
passes any thing I have yet seen in the shape of an 



INCIDENTS OF THE WAR OF INDEPENDENCE. 393 



insect. In an instant we were enveloped in a swarm 
of these terrible creatures, which fastened themselves 
upon us and the cattle with a tenacity like that of 
hungry leeches, maddening both man and beast, and 
causing streams of blood to flow from the bites. The 
only relief we found for a while was to drive the cattle 
at full speed across the plain ; but this expedient, al- 
though for the time it frightened away the flies, came 
very near producing also a complete dispersion of the 
herd. We therefore resigned ourselves to endure 
their torturing attacks until they had gorged them- 
selves with blood. 

From San Pablo we despatched men on to Apur- 
ito, where we proposed crossing the river with the 
cattle, to make preparations for this toilsome work; 
and then started for Achaguas, the inhabitants of 
which town had tendered our Leader an earnest in- 
vitation to visit his old head-quarters. After an easy 
ride of about three hours, we forded on horseback the 
arm of the Apure River which, running in a south- 
easterly direction, forms with the Arauca and the 
main channel of the former the island of Achaguas, 
on which the capital of the province, a collection of 
mud hovels, is situated. A brood of scaly crocodiles 
basking in the sun, and a herd of tame cattle refresh- 
ing themselves in the middle of the stream, were the 
only signs of animation we perceived on our approach 
to the renowned capital of the Apure. In spite of its 
present dilapidated condition, Achaguas did not fail 
to interest me more than any other spot in Apure, 
being my birthplace, and the stronghold for many 
years of my country's independence. The Governor 



304: 



WILD SCENES IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



of the province, Senor Arciniega, accompanied by 
the few officials in the place, came out after a while 
to greet our Leader, as did also the veteran General 
Cornelio Mufioz, former Commander of the famous 
Guardia de Honor, or Colorados de Paez, which un- 
der the leadership of both these generals, performed 
so many prodigies during the long struggle between 
Royalists and Patriots, which resulted in the final 
overthrow of Spanish domination in Colombia. At 
that epoch of historical interest to the friends of lib- 
erty in America, Achaguas held the most conspicuous 
position as the head-quarters of the patriot armies, a 
brief sketch of which may not be uninteresting to my 
readers. 

The arms of the republic were at first unsuccessful, 
and Venezuela submitted to the government of the 
mother country, the Spanish commander, Don An- 
tonio Monteverde, having triumphed over the patriot 
forces in 1812. By this time, however, a new cham- 
pion of the republican cause was rising in the south, 
amidst the wild scenes I have endeavored to depict in 
the foregoing pages. This champion was Captain 
Jose A. Paez, then a youth of twenty Aprils, who 
conceived the happy idea of collecting a horde of un- 
disciplined Llaneros in the plains of Casanare to op- 
pose the overwhelming forces of Spain. His intimate 
acquaintance with the country, and his thorough mas- 
tery in all the sports of the Llaneros, admirably fitted 
him to carry out his plans successfully. How he 
came there, and by what means he acquired the re- 
quisite proficiency for the arduous enterprise, the 
following anecdote of his early career will explain. 



INCIDENTS OF THE WAR OF INDEPENDENCE. 305 

When seventeen years of age, an uncle of his, the 
good Priest of Araure, his native place, entrusted him 
with a large sum of money to deliver safely into the 
hands of the curate of a distant parish, furnishing 
him for the journey with a mule, an old pistol, and a 
rusty sword ; for, even at that period of comparative 
quiet and peace (1807) it was dangerous for a travel- 
ler to venture over the roads alone, and carrying with 
him the tempting metal. The future President of the 
Republic, highly elated at the great confidence re- 
posed in him, with the usual inexperience of youth, 
spoke freely about his commission in the first inn he 
stopped at to get his meals. The consequence of this 
imprudence was, that shortly after he left the inn, he 
was attacked on the road by three men, who, as a 
matter of course, demanded la holsa 6 la vida. The 
youthful traveller, however, dismounted with the old 
pistol in his hand already cocked, and now threaten- 
ing one and then the other of his assailants, endeav- 
ored to repel them. At last, being too closely pressed, 
he fired the pistol at the nearest robber, with such 
good aim that he killed his adversary on the spot, 
while the fragments of the barrel, which burst at the 
same time, struck another in the face. Then charging 
resolutely upon the third bandit with the rusty sword, 
he quickly put both to flight, leaving behind them 
the corpse of their wretched comrade. Notwithstand- 
ing the obvious propriety of his conduct on this oc- 
casion, acting as he did in self-defence, the young 
man feared the consequences ; he imagined himself 
already accused, persecuted, without the means of 
proving his innocence, and therefore determined to 



306 



WILD SCENES IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



hide himself by going into the interior of the plains, 
hoping thus to escape a punishment which his error 
,made him regard as inevitable. Determined to gain 
an honest livelihood, he sought employment on the 
cattle farm of La Calzada, in the province of Barinas, 
where he soon became inured to the fatigues of the 
ranger's life ; acquiring at the same time, under the 
tuition of a cruel negro majordomo, that proficiency 
in horsemanship which later in life gave him the su- 
periority over the enemy. 

Proud and jealous at the same time of his white 
apprentice, whom he imagined had been sent there 
by his master to spy his actions, the negro overseer 
of La Calzada spared no opportunity to put to the 
test the courage and strength of the future champion 
of those plains, sometimes compelling him to break 
in the most vicious horses, which often led him off for 
days into the open fields ; at other times ordering 
him away upon the most hazardous ventures of the 
Llanos. Not satisfied with this show of authority 
over his pupil, the brutal black Mentor of young 
Paez ended the fatigues of a hard day's labor by 
ordering him to bring a pail of water and wash his 
muddy feet ! But the tide of fortune soon changed ; 
the whirlwind of revolution offered Paez a new field 
of adventure, and the humble peon of' La Calzada 
rapidly gained the highest posts in the patriot army, 
while the haughty overseer went to increase the ranks 
of the opposing foe. In the course of events the ma- 
jordomo was brought one day a prisoner to Paez, 
who not only spared his life, but kept him always 
near his person, his only revenge being to imitate the 



INCIDENTS OF THE WAR OF INDEPENDENCE. 307 

tone of his former tyrant when calling upon young 
Paez to exercise the functions of the slave : " Nino 
Jose Antonio ! bring a bowl of water to wash my 
feet ! " to which the old negro humbly replied, " I 
see, nino, you have not forgotten your old tricks." 

When the revolution broke out, on the 19th of 
April, 1810, Paez enlisted in the militia of Barinas as 
a common soldier, and soon after was promoted to 
the rank of sergeant of cavalry. This, however, being 
rather a slow process of promotion, he proceeded to 
organize an independent body of cavalry, with which 
he rendered important service to the cause of inde- 
pendence. But the path of glory was not without 
thorns, and our young leader found himself a pris- 
oner in the hands of the merciless Spaniards, owing 
his preservation, as it was then believed, to the influ- 
ence of a miracle. In those day s a war without quar- 
ter was fiercely waged. The province of Barinas 
having been again occupied by the royalist forces, 
Paez fell into the hands of the cruel Puy, was thrown 
into prison and ordered to be executed in the city 
of Barinas the next day. At that time military ex- 
ecutions of captured enemies were conducted by lead- 
ing them out during the night to some lonely spot, 
where they were despatched with the lance or the 
sword. Paez and a number of his fellow-prisoners 
were thus being led out one night, when he observed, 
as he was leaving the prison, that he was uncovered ; 
believing himself to be only going to make his deposi- 
tion before the Governor, he requested his companion 
in the cell to lend him his hat. The Spanish officer 



308 



WILD SCENES IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



in charge of the mournful cortege, failing to recognize 
him under this guise, ordered him back to be ex- 
changed for the owner of the hat, who, he supposed, 
was the identical " captain of the rebels." Thus he 
obtained unwittingly a respite of one day. The fol- 
lowing night he was awakened about eleven o'clock 
by a great noise of horsemen and infantry in the 
street. He imagined they were coming to lead him 
and the rest of his fellow-prisoners to the place of ex- 
ecution. He prepared, therefore, to die ; but Provi- 
dence saved his life once more. The noise of arms 
and horses in the street had been occasioned by an 
alarm in consequence of information received by 
Governor Puy, that a considerable array of patriots 
was encamped on the banks of the Santo Domingo 
river, on which Barinas is situated, and was about 
marching on the city. Several parties, coming from 
different directions, confirmed the information re- 
ceived by the Governor, and the panic became gen- 
eral. It was supposed that the patriots in large num- 
bers intended to take the Spanish garrison by sur- 
prise and seize upon the Governor. The latter, there- 
fore, immediately abandoned Barinas with his forces, 
leaving only a few men to guard the prison, for in his 
hurry he had forgotten to execute the prisoners, as 
he had done before on similar occasions. This was 
the time for Paez to make a bold effort to save his 
life. The next morning he embraced the opportunity, 
broke his fetters, helped to release his fellow-prison- 
ers, and overpowered one of the sentinels, who at- 
tempted to oppose his escape. Paez then fled to put 
himself once more at the head of a small band of 



INCIDENTS OF THE WAR OF INDEPENDENCE. 



309 



patriots, to harass the enemy in the same province of 
Barinas. On the morning succeeding the alarm, the 
royalists could not discover an enemy for more than 
fifty miles around the city. The alarm and panic oc- 
casioned by the reported approach of an enemy in 
the night, confirmed by so many persons, some of 
whom had gone out to reconnoitre, and the most sin- 
gular disappearance, or absence, of this host on the 
following morning, gave rise to the popular belief, 
existing to this day among the common people, 
that the life of Paez was saved by the friendly inter- 
cession and miraculous appearance of an army of de- 
parted spirits, known as the Escuadron de las Animas. 

Many combats and encounters took place after 
this, between the royalists and patriots for the pos- 
session of Barinas, and when, at last, the city was 
evacuated by the latter, Paez followed the movements 
of commandant Garcia de Sena into the mountain- 
ous province of Merida. Garcia de Sena, finding 
the cavalry cumbersome in the difficult passes of 
the mountains, dismissed them in the town of Las 
Piedras. It was then that Paez, once again free to 
act according to his own judgment and impulses, con- 
ceived the idea of going through the centre of New 
Granada to the plains of Casanare, south of the prov- 
ince of Apure. This plan was the result of expe- 
rience, which convinced him that the patriots could 
not triumph, notwithstanding their unheard-of efforts, 
while the Spaniards held possession of the plains and 
controlled the supply of horses. The acquisition of 
the Llanos gave the superiority to the Spaniards, as, 
by means of it, they had a source of supplies and a 



310 



WILD SCENES IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



safe retreat. Paez determined, therefore, to make 
that wild region the base of his military operations, 
and with this object organized a body of horsemen in 
the plains of Casanare, which he soon after led into 
the province of Apure. 

In the language of another, " no man was better 
calculated to command the love and respect of his 
wild soldiery. Great bravery, a thorough knowledge 
of localities, an affable and familiar treatment of his 
followers, procured for Paez great popularity and 
an unlimited sway over the minds of his men. He 
was one of the best riders in a district of country cel- 
ebrated for good horsemen, and understood the man- 
agement of the lance, his favorite weapon, almost to 
perfection. He possessed great bodily strength and 
agility, and few could compete with him in the wild 
sports of the Llaneros, or inhabitants of the immense 
plains of Venezuela." 

The Llanos are, in fact, a permanent camp of mil- 
itary instruction for their intrepid inhabitants. Ac- 
customed from their infancy to subdue the wild horse, 
to master the wild bull, to swim across broad streams, 
and to grapple in single combat with the crocodile, 
the tiger and wild boar, the Llaneros learn to despise 
danger. When the war turned them from their or- 
dinary occupations, the enemy found them ready- 
made soldiers. Inhabiting a genial atmosphere and 
endowed with iron constitutions, their wants are 
few and insignificant ; in peace, the lazo and the 
horse ; in war, the horse and the lance. Perfectly 
acquainted with the country and unencumbered with 
heavy accoutrements, the dwellers of the Llanos can- 



INCIDENTS OF THE WAR OF INDEPENDENCE. 3jJ 

not be conquered except by men of the same region, 
and Venezuela possesses in those limitless plains and 
in the breasts of their valorous children, the strongest 
bulwark of her national independence. 

Paez, now master of his own military movements, 
resolved to meet the enemy there, and, if possible, to 
bring about an engagement. On the 16th of Febru- 
ary, 1816, he commenced his march in pursuit of the 
royalist chief, Don Eafael Lopez, and in three hours' 
space met him at a place called Mata de la Miel, on 
the right bank of the river Apure. The royalist leader 
had two pieces of artillery and sixteen hundred men, 
whom he drew up at once in order of battle. Paez's 
forces amounted altogether to about six hundred cav- 
alry. It was evening and the night fast advancing, 
on which account many of the patriot officers were of 
opinion that the engagement should be postponed un- 
til the following day. This very reason, however, de- 
termined the leader to enter at once into action, as he 
feared that his soldiers, observing the great superior- 
ity of the enemy in numbers, might take advantage 
of the night to desert. Paez accordingly divided his 
forces in two columns, placing the one, composed of 
New Granadians, under command of Captain Genaro 
Vasquez, and the other, composed of Venezuelans, 
under Captain Pamon Nonato Perez. The royalists 
were completely routed, and during all that night and 
the two following days the forces led by Paez pursued 
and captured a great portion of those under Don 
"Rafael Lopez. Such was the action of Mata de la 
Miel. There were left dead on the field four hundred 
royalists, and a great number of prisoners were taken, 



312 WILD SCENES IN SOUTH AMERICA. 

together with about three thousand five hundred 
horses and nearly all the enemy's arms. Four months 
afterward, in June, Lopez again crossed the Apure 
with twelve hundred horsemen and four hundred in- 
fantry, but Paez met him near Mantecal and com- 
pelled him to retreat, after losing many men and 
horses. 

Notwithstanding these advantages on the part of 
the patriot forces, the result of the following cam- 
paigns (1814, 1815, and 1816) was most disastrous to 
the arms of the republic elsewhere ; Venezuela, New 
Granada, and the plains of Casanare again fell into 
the hands of the vengeful Spaniards. In 1816, a very 
numerous emigration of patriots, consisting of men, 
women, and children, in a state of great destitution 
and suffering, fled to the wilderness from the persecu- 
tion of the royalists, and took refuge in the camp of 
Paez. Many persons of distinction were to be found 
among the fugitives, and a system of government 
was established for the regulation of affairs. A meet- 
ing of officers was held at Arichuna, and Paez ap- 
pointed supreme chief, with the rank of General of 
Brigade. He applied himself immediately to raise 
sufficient forces to oppose Don Rafael Lopez and to 
acquire, if possible, some resources in his extreme 
want. The hardships and privations endured by the 
patriot army on the plains can scarcely be conceived. 
The soldiers were so destitute of clothing as to be 
compelled to use for a covering the hides of the cattle 
freshly killed ; very few had hats, none shoes. The 
ordinary and only food was beef, without salt and 
without bread. There were, in addition to all this, 



INCIDENTS OF THE WAR OF INDEPENDENCE. 3^3 

continual rains, and the rivers and creeks had over- 
flowed and covered over the country. They wanted 
horses, and as these are indispensable to the Llaneros, 
they must be obtained before any thing else. Only 
wild horses could be procured, and they had to be 
tamed and broken. This was done in squadrons, and 
it was a curious spectacle to see five or six hundred 
riders at a time struggling to subdue these wild an- 
imals. Around the ground were stationed several 
officers, mounted on well-trained horses, whose duty it 
was to go after those which escaped from their riders, 
to prevent them from carrying away the saddles, al- 
though these were made of wood, with thongs of raw 
hides. Many years after these scenes, an eye-witness 
wrote : " We courted danger in order to put an end, 
with honor, to such a miserable life." To provide 
against this misery, Paez now turned his attention to 
the nearest source of supply, Barinas, a city abound- 
ing in all the commodities he stood most in need of. 
Although nearly two hundred miles distant, the 
patriot chieftain did not hesitate to invade his old 
antagonist in the midst of the rainy season. The 
undertaking could not, however, be executed without 
great peril and hardships, he having to contend not 
only against the inveterate enemies who occupied all 
the approaches to the city, but against the inundation 
of the savannas at the time. The expedition, more- 
over, had to be conducted with great secrecy, avoid- 
ing even the few channels left open in those inland 
seas for the transit of men on horseback. Not in the 
least deterred by obstacles so formidable in themselves, 
Paez got together one thousand picked men, and two 
14 



314 



WILD SCENES IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



thousand white horses, animals of this color being re- 
puted the best swimmers. With these, he crossed 
the Apure and several other streams, then at the 
height of their flood, being compelled besides to ford 
extensive lagoons of various depths to avoid the nu- 
merous gunboats of the enemy, stationed at all the im- 
portant passes. In one of these, on the river Suripa, 
the expedition was fortunate enough to capture by 
surprise a gunboat and a large quantity of hides, 
which were left behind with a strong guard for future 
use. When near Barinas, Paez sent a detachment to 
surprise also the town of Pedraza, to the south-east 
of the capital, with the object of drawing the atten- 
tion of the royalists in that direction. The ruse suc- 
ceeded admirably ; the small detachment of men car- 
ried every thing before them, penetrating as far as 
the plaza, and then retreated, according to instruc- 
tions, to rejoin the main body. Enraged at their 
audacity, the Spanish commander at Barinas sent out 
a large force in pursuit of the attacking party, thus 
weakening his own force. Paez then advanced 
against Barinas, disposing his line of march in single 
file, each horseman followed by his spare horse, tied 
to the tail of his own sumpter. The object of this 
arrangement was to deceive the royalists also in re- 
gard to the real numbers of the enemy, which from a 
distance presented a very imposing appearance. Ba- 
rinas is situated on the border of an extensive plain, 
bounded on the south by the mesa of the same name, 
through which Paez made his entry into the doomed 
city when the sun was in the meridian. The dreaded 
army of " departed spirits " did not produce a more 



INCIDENTS OF THE WAR OF INDEPENDENCE. gjj 

appalling consternation among the royalists than the 
apparition of this unexpected body of ragged horse- 
men. They knew full well that, owing to the over- 
flow of the savannas, no advance could be made upon 
the city from the south. They felt equally secure ■ 
against any attack from the north and from the east, 
which were then entirely under their control, while 
on the west they were still better protected by the 
lofty Sierra Nevada. Without stopping to ascertain 
the real character of the force before them, the royal- 
ists collected together in a great hurry whatever val- 
uables they prized most, and had already loaded 
several mules with them, when the enemy, dashing 
forward in full gallop, arrived in time to secure the 
rich booty, after dispersing the owners and their 
troops. The half-clad followers of Paez then fell 
upon the stores and abandoned houses of the royalists 
with the eagerness of men who had not seen a respect- 
able garment in a long time. One of the officers was 
fortunate enough to capture a mule loaded with thirty 
thousand dollars in gold, while every man in the party 
got more goods than he could carry. 

Paez only remained a sufficient time at Barinas 
to arrange the transportation of the booty, which took . 
up nearly all the spare horses brought along for this 
purpose ; without these and the hides seized at Su- 
ripa, it would have been impossible to remove it to 
the patriot camp in the wilderness. Owing to the 
presence of a strong flotilla of gunboats at the mouth 
of the river, the captured vessel had to be abandoned 
after a while, and the wearisome route across the in- 
undated savannas resumed by the returning caravan. 



316 WILD SCENES IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



The hides served the double purpose of covering 
for the goods and lighters to ferry them over the 
streams. This species of leather canoe is an inge- 
nious contrivance frequently resorted to in those wild 
regions wherever there is a scarcity of boats, and con- 
sists in a bag or trough formed by passing a rope 
through a number of holes round the rim of the hide, 
and gathering it over the goods. One end of the 
rope of sufficient length is then handed over to a good 
swimmer, who takes it between his teeth and tows 
the lighter after him. In this manner, the immense 
booty obtained at Barinas was successfully trans- 
ported over one hundred miles of inundated plains, to 
the inconceivable joy of the wretched emigrants at the 
camp of Arichuna. 

After allowing his troop sufficient time to rest 
from their fatigues, and finding it to his advantage to 
resume the offensive, at least to occupy the attention 
of his soldiers, Paez commenced his march toward 
Achaguas, although the season was still very severe. 
The march was slow, as, besides the difficulties of the 
road, they were encumbered by numerous emigrants, 
and compelled, at every step, to procure supplies on 
. account of the want of stores. The great multitude 
of men, women, and children, moving with the army, 
represented to the life the picture of a nomadic people 
without home or country, who, after consuming the 
resources of the district they have occupied, raise 
their tents to conquer another.* In this manner they 

* Nevertheless, Paez took particular care to preserve the breed of 
cattle on the plains of Apure. Notwithstanding that he was continually 
engaged in war, he issued most effective orders to prevent its extinc- 



INCIDENTS OF THE WAR OF INDEPENDENCE. 317 

arrived at the sand hills or Medanos de Araguayuna, 
where, having left the emigrants under the protection 
of a resolute band of horsemen, Paez incorporated all 
the men capable of bearing arms in his ranks, and 
marched against Lopez, whom he supposed to be at 
Achaguas. But after proceeding a short distance, he 
learned that the enemy, to the number of seventeen 
hundred horsemen and four hundred infantry, was at 
the cattle farm called Yagual. Paez then changed 
his course and took his position between the enemy 
and the city of Achaguas. His army was divided 
into three columns, commanded by Generals Urda- 
neta and Servier, and by Colonel Santander ; they 
were nearly all armed with lances, very few with 
muskets or carabines, and the supply of ammunition 
was scanty. On the 8th of October, they came in 
sight of the enemy, and although their number much 
exceeded that of the patriot forces, Paez did not hesi- 
tate to give them battle. The conflict was long and 
severe, but it was decidedly in favor of the patriots. 
Don Rafael Lopez was compelled to abandon his po- 
sition, after sustaining a severe loss ; on the next day 
he refused to renew the battle and fell back upon 
Achaguas, having previously shipped on the river 
Arauca all his artillery and wounded for San Fer- 
nando. On the 13th, Lopez, having made a short 
resistance, abandoned the town, of which Paez took 
possession. Shortly after this, Lopez being attacked 
by surprise on the banks of the Apure, was utterly 



tion. The origin of all the cattle estates which are at present to be 
found in Venezuela is to be traced to the Apure plains. 



318 WILD SCENES IN SOUTH AMERICA. 

defeated, his forces dispersed, and he himself lost his 
life. 

At the head of his brave soldiers, Paez rescued 
the province of Apure, a part of that of Barinas, in 
Venezuela, and recovered that of Casanare, in New 
Granada. Having increased his force by the new 
levies raised in these provinces and in others, he 
formed that army which subsequently rendered such 
important services in the cause of freedom, and whose 
exploits have been so much admired. 



CHAPTER XXIII. 



INCIDENTS OF THE WAR OF INDEPENDENCE. 



"While these events were taking place in the dis- 
tant plains of Venezuela, Spain, having bravely ex- 
pelled the French invaders from her territory, now 
turned the whole strength of her arms against her 
rebellious colonies. Several expeditions were de- 
spatched under the command of the ablest Generals, 
and provided with all the material for a vigorous 
campaign. One of these, led by Lieutenant-General 
Don Pablo Morillo, set sail from Cadiz on the 18th 
of February, 1815. It consisted of sixty-five trans- 
port ships and other smaller vessels, convoyed by 
the line-of-battle ship San Pedro Alcantara, mount- 
ing seventy-four guns, and having on board the regi- 
ments of Leon, Victoria, Estremadura, Barb astro, 
Union, (afterward known as Valeneey,) Cazadores 
of Castile, and the General's battalion of infantry 
Cazadores, the regiments of dragoons of the Union, 
and the hussars of Ferdinand VII., a park of artillery 
with eighteen pieces, two companies of fortress artil- 



320 



WILD SCENES IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



lery, three of sappers, and a park provided with all 
that was requisite to besiege a second-class fortress. 
The total number of men composing this expedition, 
including the marines, amounted to fifteen thousand. 
The ships carrying this formidable armament cast 
anchor, on the 3d April, 1815, in Puerto-Santo, to 
the windward of Carupano in Venezuela. Morillo, 
the commander of this expedition, was a brave, active, 
and energetic officer, cool in action, a severe discipli- 
narian, and was beloved by his soldiers. Besides this 
force, there was a royalist army of five thousand men 
in Yenezuela, commanded by Morales. 

At first, General Morillo met with little or no op- 
position, until, going into the interior, he encountered 
the wild horsemen of the plains. The haughty tem- 
per of the Spanish commander-in-chief could not bear 
that a handful of semi-savages, as he was pleased to 
style them, should insult the pennant of Castile any 
longer, and he therefore prepared to capture every 
one of them ; with what results, the sequel of this 
narrative will show. 

In the early part of January, 1817, the Spanish 
commanders La Torre and Calzada effected a junction 
at Guasdualito, on the plains of Apure. About the 
same time, the royalist brigadier Don Ramon Correa 
and the Lieutenant-Colonel Don Salvador Gorrin left 
San Fernando with fifteen hundred men, and with 
his cavalry and infantry attacked the line of the pa- 
triots and completely routed Guerrero, the repub- 
lican General, forcing him to fall back upon Paez, 
after a bloody battle, in which the patriots sustained a 
considerable loss. The siege of San Fernando being 



INCIDENTS OF THE WAR OF INDEPENDENCE. 3£1 

raised in consequence of this triumph, the attention 
of La Torre and Calzada was directed to Paez, who 
presented the greatest obstacle to their occupation 
of the river Apure and its adjacent plains. An 
army of four thousand veteran soldiers of all arms, 
including seventeen hundred of the cavalry com- 
manded by Colonel Remigio Ramos, presented a 
force sufficient to inspire the Spanish commander 
with confidence, particularly as La Torre, who was a 
brave and accomplished soldier, was anxious to dis- 
tinguish himself among his companions in arms. He, 
therefore, marched to the town of San Yicente, fol- 
lowing the right bank of the river Apure, with the 
intention of attacking Paez who was then in Man- 
tecal. On the 28th of January, the patiiots and 
royalists met on the plain of Las Mucuritas ; the 
former with a body of cavalry amounting only to 
eleven hundred horsemen, and the latter with the 
forces already mentioned. The result of the engage- 
ment was as unfortunate to La Torre as it proved ad- 
vantageous to the patriots under Paez, who on this 
occasion made up for his inferiority in numbers by 
means of a stratagem which nearly resulted in the 
destruction of the entire Spanish army. The order 
of battle adopted by the royalist leader was the best 
which the nature of the ground and the enemy he 
had to contend with would permit ; his infantry pre- 
sented a strong and compact front, while his cavalry 
was posted on the wings and on the rear. Paez hav- 
ing only cavalry, could not come within the range of 
the enemy's muskets without running the risk of 
being wholly destroyed, and he consequently con- 
14* 



322 



WILD SCENES IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



ceived the idea of separating the royalist horse from 
the infantry. The presumptuous confidence of Colo- 
nel Ramos and the inexperience of La Torre in the 
Llanero's tactics, facilitated the execution of Paez's 
plan. Having formed two columns with a portion of 
his forces, Paez ordered them to attack the enemy's 
flanks, and then immediately to retreat, as if they 
had been repulsed. His object was to draw out the 
enemy's cavalry in the heat of the pursuit, and at 
once surround them with two other columns which he 
had ready prepared for that purpose. This simple 
manoeuvre had the desired effect, and La Torre's cav- 
alry was speedily destroyed. The European hussars 
alone escaped, because they advanced with less pre- 
cipitancy and in better order. The republican leader 
now ordered the dry grass of the plain to be set on 
fire, and it instantly became a sea of flame. Fortu- 
nately for La Torre, his infantry retreating precipi- 
tately in close column, succeeded in reaching a spot 
which had been burned some time before. Even 
there, his infantry sustained several charges from 
Paez's cavalry, compelling him ultimately to seek a 
refuge in a dense wood on the right bank of the 
Apure, where the pursuit ceased for want of infantry 
on the part of the patriots. Of this battle, General 
Morillo wrote : " Fourteen consecutive charges upon 
my wearied battalions, convinced me that those men 
were not a small gang of cowards, as had been repre- 
sented to me." On the following morning, Morillo 
joined La Torre, and continued with him his march 
to San Fernando without crossing the Apure, and 
always in sight of the republican cavalry. Paez 



/ 



INCIDENTS OF THE WAR OF INDEPENDENCE. 323 

finally perceiving that the enemy avoided a new en- 
gagement, retired to San Juan de Payara. 

In 1817, General Bolivar appeared in the province 
of Guayana, and his first effort was to open his com- 
munication with Paez, who did not hesitate to recog- 
nize his authority, although widely separated from the 
Liberator's head-quarters. 

From this period, the patriots began to extend 
their operations ; a series of brilliant actions took 
place at various points, and the republican cause ap- 
peared to revive on the line of the Apure and the 
Orinoco rivers. The acquisition of Guayana under 
Piar was an important and decisive event in the his- 
tory of the war ; by means of it, Bolivar was in a 
situation to harass the posts occupied by the royalists, 
on any point of the immense line embraced by the 
Orinoco and its numerous tributaries ; he had ap- 
proached the island of Trinidad, had obtained sup- 
plies of men, horses, and cattle, and secured a com- 
munication with Paez. 

In the beginning of January, 1818, Paez deter- 
mined to take the fortified town of San Fernando by 
assault ; to this end, he directed that two gunboats, 
captured from the royalists, and eight or ten other 
boats, should rendezvous on the creek of Biruca, con- 
necting with the Apure ; said vessels were to lie in 
ambush there, ready to land at San Fernando a 
chosen body of men on the night of the 14th, while the 
rest of the army engaged the attention of the enemy 
in another direction. But two deserters, who went 
over to the royalists, betrayed the plan, and before it 
could be executed, an unexpected and vigorous attack 
was made on the boats, all of which fell into the 



324 WILD SCENES IN SOUTH AMERICA. 

hands of the royalists, and of the men on board only 
two escaped by swimming. The project had, in con- 
sequence, to be abandoned, and Paez, in pursuance 
of the instructions of Bolivar that he should not 
risk his forces until the latter joined him, confined 
himself to maintaining the siege, sending, in the 
mean time, several exploring parties to the plains of 
Calabozo and San Carlos. In the latter part of the 
same month, Bolivar joined him with two thousand 
five hundred disciplined troops, among them the 
famous British Legion lately arrived, increasing the 
republican forces to about ten thousand infantry and 
the same number of cavalry, which last was composed 
of well-trained men, accustomed to victory on the 
plains of Apure. The plan of the campaign having 
been arranged between Bolivar and Paez, they re- 
solved to cross over the river Apure and march 
forthwith on Calabozo, where Morillo had established 
his head-quarters. But here a great difficulty pre- 
sented itself : the patriot forces had no boats in which 
to cross that broad and deep river. It was then that 
Paez conceived and executed the extraordinary plan 
of capturing with cavalry the gunboats of the enemy 
stationed on the river, opposite the point toward 
which they were marching. A party of fifty lancers, 
mounted on horses without saddles, were selected for 
this purpose, the brave Aramendi being one of their 
number ; at a signal from their leader, who headed 
the movement, they plunged into the river and swam 
toward the Spanish gunboats assisted by the horses. 
The royalists, taken by surprise, had only time to fire 
a single round, and the next moment the gunboats 



INCIDENTS OF THE WAR OF INDEPENDENCE. 325 

were boarded on all sides and captured by the pa- 
triots. This dangerous manoeuvre was performed at 
a distance of two miles from San Fernando, which, 
from that moment, was cut off from all communica- 
tion with Morillo. The patriot army being thus pro- 
vided with the means of transportation across the 
Apure, a body of cavalry was immediately de- 
spatched in the direction of the road leading to Cala- 
bozo, and succeeded in capturing by surprise a party 
of twenty-five men, who composed the advanced post 
of the enemy. In consequence of this manoeuvre, 
Morillo was also taken by surprise on the 11th of 
February, at a time when his hussars and a portion 
of the battalion of Castille were at a place called 
Mision de Abajo, about three miles to the south of 
Calabozo. Only a few men from both regiments, 
with a Colonel, succeeded in making their escape to 
the intrench m en ts in the city. The sturdy veteran, 
Morillo, could not believe the report of his Colonel, 
that the whole patriot army was marching upon him. 
Haughtily accusing that officer of cowardice, he sal- 
lied forth in person with his staff to reconnoitre what 
he supposed to be a band of guerrillas ; but he him- 
self had to flee for safety into the city, narrowly 
escaping death through the stoical heroism of his in- 
sulted Colonel, who threw himself between the Com- 
mander-in-chief and the lance of one of Paez's staff 
officers. 

Instead of investing the royalists at once, Bolivar 
committed the error of encamping for the night with 
all his troops at the village of El Rastro, about 
four miles this side of Calabozo. Morillo improved 



326 



WILD SCENES IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



tliis opportunity to abandon the city under cover of 
night, and fell back on Caracas, by the mountainous 
route of El Sombrero, where the patriots could not 
follow him on account of the inferiority of their in- 
fantry. Paez then returned to the Apure, while Bol- 
ivar remained with the bulk of the army, to be soon 
after entirely annihilated at La Puerta by the royalist 
General. But the Genius of the Andes was untiring 
in his efforts to see his country, and the rest of the 
South American Continent, free from European op- 
pression. 

On the 16th January, 1819, Bolivar joined Paez 
again at San Juan de Payara with a newly organized 
corps d'armee, and their united forces amounted to 
four thousand men. Bolivar, as a recompense for the 
important services rendered by Paez to his country, 
raised him to the rank of General of Division, and 
left him in command of all the forces, while he pro- 
ceeded to Angostura, where Congress was to meet in 
February. About this time the royalist Generals, 
Morillo and La Torre, also joined their forces at San 
Fernando, amounting in all to six thousand five hun- 
dred men of all arms. With these they immediately 
proceeded to attack the patriots at San Juan in the 
beginning of February. Paez retreated toward the 
Orinoco, transported all his infantry to the island of 
LTrbana, and took up a position, with his guard and 
two squadrons of carabineers, at Cunaviche ; the re- 
mainder of his horsemen he stationed on the plains 
of Rio Claro, and a most cumbersome emigration of 
ten thousand patriot refugees, that followed his camp, 
was taken to Araguaquen. The plan adopted by 



INCIDENTS OF THE WAR OF INDEPENDENCE. 327 

Paez on this occasion was precisely the same as the 
one always practised by him in former campaigns ; yet 
the royalist General was so infatuated in his eagerness 
to destroy what he called the " Gang of Apure," that 
he was easily led away into the wilderness before he 
was conscious of his danger. On the 11th of Febru- 
ary, Morales, who commanded the vanguard of the 
royalist forces, was stationed at the cattle farm of 
Canafistola ; while one of his squadrons of cavalry 
was engaged in collecting cattle for the army, Paez, 
who never lost sight of him, appeared suddenly with 
twelve hundred horsemen, and, without giving the 
enemy time to retreat, threw them into disorder, and 
cut them up. He then charged upon Morales, and a 
quick, constant firing had commenced, when the prin- 
cipal body of the Spanish army appeared in the dis- 
tance. The patriots now retreated toward Cunaviche, 
keeping their adversary under observation ; at night, 
however, they retraced their steps, and in the morning 
appeared situated a short distance in the opposite di- 
rection. Morillo countermarched and continued for 
many days wandering over that wilderness, renewing 
his efforts to overtake an enemy which kept con- 
stantly before him, like the mirage of the desert, and 
which did him great injury by driving away the 
cattle. The only means that Morillo could employ to 
overtake his opponent and force him to battle, was 
to use his cavalry ; but the employment of this arm 
jeopardized the only force which procured the sub- 
sistence of the army, and might thus compromise its 
safety. At length, convinced of the inutility of his 
efforts, he recrossed the Arauca and in the early part 



328 



WILD SCENES IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



of March, established his head-quarters at Acha- 
guas. 

On the first day of April, General Morillo again 
resumed the offensive, marching along the left bank 
of the Arauca and approaching the position occupied 
on the right bank by Generals Paez and Bolivar ; the 
latter had recently returned from the Congress at 
Angostura, where he had been elected President of 
the Republic, and resumed the command in chief of 
the army. Morillo made several feigned movements 
to the right and to the left, as if he wished to cross 
the river, and at noon of the 2d, took up his posi- 
tion nearly opposite that of Bolivar, out of range of 
the cannon. For the purpose of drawing him forth, 
General Paez crossed the river with one hundred and 
fifty horsemen, composed mostly of officers who vol- 
unteered for the hazardous undertaking ; with these 
he formed three small columns and advanced upon 
the enemy. Morillo immediately put all his forces in 
motion ; his infantry and artillery commenced firing, 
while the cavalry charged upon the small band of 
patriots, hoping to overpower by numbers the weak 
columns of the enemy ; he himself directed his course 
toward the bank of the river. Paez, in the mean 
time, retreated in order, purposely leaving the pass 
of the river on his rear. Morillo, observing this, and 
supposing him inevitably lost, detached from the 
army all the cavalry in pursuit of Paez, and directed 
his fire upon the right bank, defended by some light 
troops. As soon, however, as the republican General 
perceived that the enemy's horse were at a consider- 
able distance from the army, and in disorder, he faced 



INCIDENTS OF THE WAR OF INDEPENDENCE. 329 



about suddenly, attacked his pursuers in front and on 
the flanks, in small groups of twenty men, and with- 
out giving them time to recover from their astonish- 
ment or to re-form the lines, he routed them, oc- 
casioning great loss. In vain they made the most 
obstinate resistance — in vain the carabineers dis- 
mounted — all their efforts were useless ; disconcerted 
and taken by surprise, all those who opposed the 
vigorous attack were killed upon the spot. The vic- 
tors pursued the remnants of the force as far as the en- 
emy's lines, slaying all whom they overtook. Their 
infantry, thrown into confusion, sought refuge in the 
woods, the artillery ceased firing, and night pre- 
vented the further destruction of the royalist army. 
On the day following this encounter, Bolivar issued 
a decree, conferring the cross of Liberators (Liberta- 
dores) on all the officers, sergeants, corporals, and sol- 
diers, who fought in this engagement, known in his- 
tory by the name of Queseras del Medio ; while the 
following proclamation announced to the army the 
success recently obtained by the republican arms : 



SIMON BOLIVAR PRESIDENT, Etc., Etc. 
" To the Heroes of the Army of Apure : 

" Soldiers ! You have just performed the most 
extraordinary action that can be recorded in the mili- 
tary history of nations — one hundred and fifty men, or, 
rather, one hundred and fifty heroes, led on by the 
undaunted General Paez, have deliberately attacked 
in front the whole Spanish army, under Morillo ; 



330 



WILD SCENES IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



artillery, infantry, cavalry, nothing availed to de- 
fend the enemy from the hundred and fifty com- 
panions of the intrepid Paez. The columns of their 
cavalry have disappeared under the strokes of our 
lances ; their infantry sought a shelter in the woods ; 
the roar of their cannon was silenced before the breasts 
of our horses, and only the darkness of night preserved 
the army of the tyrant from complete and absolute 
destruction. 

" Soldiers ! The deed you have performed is but 
the prelude of what you can accomplish. Prepare 
then for the combat, and reckon on victory, which you 
carry on the point of your lances and bayonets. 

" Bolivar. 

" Head-quarters at Potreritos Marrerenos, April 3, 1819." 

After this engagement, Morillo, finding himself 
again deprived of his cavalry in the heart of the sa- 
vannas, retreated precipitately to Achaguas, and 
finally to San Fernando, which place he fortified 
strongly, and recrossing the Apure, sought a more ad- 
vantageous position against the attacks of his hover- 
ing enemy. 

The engagement of Queseras del Medio was the 
precursor of new plans and bold projects, combined 
between Bolivar and Paez. The plains of Venezuela, 
being now entirely rescued from the enemy, these two 
Generals arranged the dangerous and important ex- 
pedition that was to give freedom to ISTew Grana- 
da. Paez had the honor accorded him of choosing 
which of the two should command the expedition. 
They both agreed that Bolivar should march into New 



INCIDENTS OF THE WAR OF INDEPENDENCE. 33^ 



Granada, and that Paez should preserve, at all risks, 
the possession of the plains of Apure. Yictory 
crowned the republican arms in New Granada, and 
Paez resolutely and successfully defended the im- 
portant territory confided to his care and protection. 

On the 17th December, 1819, Venezuela and New 
Granada were united into one great republic, under the 
name of Colombia, with a territory embracing nearly 
500,000 square miles. 

The year 1821 is celebrated for the important vic- 
tory obtained by the republican army, under Bolivar 
and Paez, on the field of Carabobo, which secured 
Venezuela to the patriots. General Bolivar's forces 
amounted to 6,000 men. Only the first division of 
the army, commanded by Paez, took part in the bat- 
tle. This division was composed of the famous Brit- 
ish Legion, lately arrived from England, the battalion 
of Apure, and 1,500 horsemen. The field of Cara- 
bobo is a vast and open plain, lying in a southerly 
direction from Valencia. An army endeavoring to 
enter this plain from Tinaquillo, as the patriot army 
was attempting to do, is obliged, after passing the 
river Chirgua, to penetrate over the defile called Buena 
Vista, lying to the northeast. This defile is a formi- 
dable position, on which a few men can easily arrest 
the progress of an army. If this pass be gained, and 
the many obstructions be overcome, which an enemy 
can easily oppose over a rough and craggy road of 
considerable length, there still remains a narrow val- 
ley to be traversed, formed by hills, which constitute 
the entrance on the west to the plain of Carabobo ; 
here the level ground commences. General La Torre, 



332 



WILD SCENES IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



the Spanish commander, had stationed in the valley 
and on both sides on the hills commanding it, several 
pieces of artillery, as well as strong bodies of infantry. 
On the plain near the opening of the valley the ex- 
tended line of infantry was deployed in order of bat- 
tle, with its right resting npon a thicket ; next fol- 
lowed another line, and between the flanks of both, 
there were two strong bodies of cavalry. The second 
line of battle had on its left the road to El Pao, and 
the cavalry on the same side was stationed on the 
brow of a hill over which that road passes ; the sum- 
mit of the hill was occupied by a battalion. Such 
was the military position of the Spanish forces, amount- 
ing on this occasion to 9,000 men. On the 24th of 
June, the patriot General occupied the defile, and 
from that place observed the position of the enemy. 
The narrow road pursued by Bolivar allowed him 
only the room necessary to file off, and the Spaniards 
not only guarded the outlet into the plain, but com- 
manded the valley with their artillery and a large 
body of infantry. The position was impregnable. 
It was therefore resolved that General Paez, with 
considerable risk and difficulty, should penetrate 
through a foot-path but little known, and turn the 
enemy's right. This path was extremely hazardous. 
It begins at the high road leading to San Carlos, to 
the west of the valley ; goes over the top of a small 
hill covered with woods, which was commanded by 
the Spanish artillery, and leads into a ravine where 
the men were compelled to pass singly, because it' 
was very rough and full of brambles and briars. 
When the enemy discovered the movement of the 



INCIDENTS OF THE WAR OF INDEPENDENCE. 333 

advancing forces under Paez, lie directed part of his 
own against the latter, and some of his battalions 
came up to the ravine, as the patriot battalion of 
Apure was beginning to pass it, and a vigorous firing 
commenced and was continued on both sides. The re- 
publican corps at last succeeded in passing the ravine, 
but no longer able to sustain singly the enemy's 
charge, was already giving way, when the British 
Legion came up to their support. The enemy had by 
this time brought into action four of his best bat- 
talions, against only one of the patriots. But the 
gallant Britons now filed off and formed in order of 
battle, under a murderous fire, with almost super- 
human coolness, and kneeling down, they could not 
be made to yield an inch of ground. Almost all its 
officers were either killed or wounded ; but the service 
rendered by those brave foreigners was great indeed. 
Their heroic firmness gave time for the battalion of 
Apure to rally and return to the charge, while two 
companies of Tiradores, led on by the gallant Heras, 
came also into the action. The enemy at last yielded 
under the simultaneous charge of the bayonet made 
by these different corps and fell back upon the caval- 
ry for support. By this time the body-guard of Gen- 
eral Paez, six hundred strong, had passed the ravine, 
and charging the enemy's horse on the rear of its 
columns, routed them completely and decided the 
action on that memorable day. Only one battalion, 
the famous Yalencey, successfully repelled the furious 
charges of the patriot cavalry, which pursued the 
royalists as far as Valencia. General La Torre, with 
the remnant of his forces, shut himself up in the forti- 



334 WILD SCENES IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



fications of Puerto Cabello, which were finally carried 
by assault on the 7th of November in the same year 
by General Paez. 

The victory gained at Carabobo was complete and 
brilliant, decisive of the fate of the republic, and 
glorious to the brave soldiers of Apure, whose favored 
leader was raised by Bolivar to the rank of General-in- 
chief on the field of battle — an appointment which 
was subsequently ratified by Congress " in acknowl- 
edgment of his extraordinary valor and military vir- 
tues." 



CHAPTER XXIV. 



SCENES AT THE PASS OF APUEITO. 

When we were apprised that every thing was 
ready at the pass, we moved on from San Pablo 
with the horses, the cattle following behind by easy 
marches, to allow them sufficient time to graze on the 
rich herbage by the way. 

On our arrival at Apurito, we found the river 
quite swollen with the recent showers and already 
extending from bank to bank. The first business was 
to select among our men and horses the strongest and 
most capable of enduring the fatigue and of guiding 
through the boisterous waves of the Apure the various 
lots into which the cattle were divided for the pur- 
pose. Our next step was to assemble at the pass a 
sufficient number of canoes with expert paddlers to 
act in concert with the leading men and horses, by 
flanking the swimmers in the river. Two long pali- 
sades, running parallel down to the bank of the river 
and narrowing toward the water, had already been 
constructed ; through these the animals, in lots of 
two hundred at a time, -were driven at full speed, 



336 



WILD SCENES IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



with deafening shouts and earnest goading, while two 
men, stripped naked and mounted on two spirited 
horses without saddles, headed the movement, plung- 
ing headlong into the river pell-mell with the cattle, 
which were thus encouraged to swim across. A herd 
of tame animals was stationed on the opposite shore 
to incorporate the swimmers as they came out of the 
water. Having done this, the leaders swam back to 
procure another lot of animals, a feat they performed 
for about twenty successive times in the course of the 
day. Nevertheless, the task was not so easily accom- 
plished as was practised with the horses ; for it often 
happened that the bulls became quite refractory and 
pugnacious, in which case the men in the canoes 
were obliged to hold them by the horns, dragging 
them along by main force as they paddled on ; at 
other times the beasts got alongside of the leading 
men and horses, and then the danger to both was im- 
minent, the bulls attacking them in the water ; thus 
many valuable horses were killed by these infuriated 
animals, while the men had several narrow escapes. 
What with savage bulls, electric eels, crocodiles and 
caribes — not to mention other pernicious creatures of 
the waters and the broad expanse of the river before 
them — the task of these bold adventurers is truly ap- 
palling ; yet they go to work and accomplish their 
task with a willing heart and a perfect nonchalance 
of every thing around them. The same might be 
said also in regard to the noble steeds which share 
with them the dangers of the river, acting at the 
same time the part of floating bridges to the men, 
and as decoys to the cattle during the passage. Their 



SCENES AT THE PASS OF APURITO. 



33T 



powers of endurance, in this instance, are the more 
surprising, inasmuch as they are not allowed even a 
few moments' rest after they land, being kept in 
constant motion the whole day. 

A number of horsemen with lazos were also sta- 
tioned along the shore to secure those bulls which, 
eluding the vigilance of the men in the canoes, suc- 
ceeded in regaining the. land ; many were drowned, 
however, in the attempt, and their carcasses aban- 
doned to the turkey-buzzards, from an inherent dis- 
gust among the people of the Llanos for the flesh of 
animals which have not been killed in the usual way. 
On one or two occasions, the whole troop rebelled 
against their drivers and succeeded in making their 
escape to their pasture fields, in spite of the horsemen 
on shore ; others, after reaching the sloping banks 
across the river below the pass, were arrested in their 
flight by the overhanging cliffs, and finally hurled to 
a watery grave by the rapid rise of the river. 

Thus the cost of these expeditions, although ex- 
ceedingly interesting to those participating in the ex- 
citement, is sometimes greater than the profits arising 
therefrom, and none but Llaneros, who are accus- 
tomed to live on beef and water, ought to indulge in 
this truly savage business. Our loss in horses alone, 
without reckoning the expenses of the expedition and 
the danger to flesh and bone, amounted on this occa- 
sion to about thirty animals, which in round figures, 
setting the value of every horse at the minimum price 
of one hundred dollars, would make the sum of three 
thousand dollars ; while the value of the cattle itself, 
many of which were also lost to us, could hardly be 
15 



338 WILD SCENES IN SOUTH AMERICA. , 

set down at five dollars a head at that epoch. One 
of the horses was so valuable, that our Leader re- 
quested the Doctor to attend the wounded animal and 
endeavor to save his life if possible. On examination, 
it was found that his bowels were partly forced out 
through the wound ; but as he would not allow any 
body to touch him, it was resolved to tie his feet ; 
then passing a pole through the legs of the animal, he 
was lifted from the ground in a reverse position, to 
allow the Doctor to operate more conveniently. It 
was already very dark, and the group of Llaneros 
lifting the patient, with others holding up lighted 
torches made of rags and tallow, and the humorous 
Esculapius leaning over the struggling beast, pre- 
sented a scene ludicrous in the extreme. In spite of 
the skill with which he performed the operation, and 
the humane care of the owner, the horse expired the 
same night. 



SCENES AT THE PASS OF APURITO. 



339 



Three whole days were spent in the laborious oc- 
cupation of forcing the cattle across the river. Nor 
were the nights less diligently employed at the village 
in the more entertaining recreation of dancing, flirt- 
ing and gambling, according to the tastes and inclina- 
tions of our motley assembly. It must be confessed, 
however, that the latter had more incentives for the 
people of that pastoral region than the shepherd's 
reed and crook. Occasionally a fight would occur 
during these nocturnal revelries ; but this, beyond 
some hard words and brandishing of swords and dag- 
gers by moonlight, which rather added to the pictur- 
esqueness of the scene, never ended in any thing very 
serious. 

" Calo el chapeo, requirio la espada, 
Miro al soslayo, fuese y no hubo nada." 

The river was now rising so rapidly, that in order 
to reach our camp in the neighborhood of the village, 
we were obliged to place canoes across the main 
street leading to it, for fear of coming in contact with 
any of the numerous tenants of that stream. About 
this time the fish, conscious of the approaching inun- 
dation of the savannas, commence to ascend the river 
in search of those places best suited for spawning ; 
and so great is the number of those that seek a nup- 
tial rendezvous, that the noise they make in the 
water can be heard at some distance from the river. 
During their migration the water becomes so tainted 
with their flavor, that it is unfit to drink or wash in. 
Desirous of obtaining some live specimens for sketch- 
ing, I procured a tarraya, or throw net, which I re- 
quested one of our men to launch near the bank ; he 



340 



WILD SCENES IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



did so ; but when lie tried to lift it, lie found it im- 
possible unassisted, which made us fear that the net 
had got entangled among snags at the bottom of the 
river. A companion was called to our assistance, and 
between us three, we soon brought it up, when, to my 
astonishment and delight, I found the net full of cop- 
oros, palometas, and other delicacies ; the caribes, 
however, soon rendered it perfectly useless, which 
circumstance I considered a misfortune, as I could 
not keep the fish long without spoiling. Next day I 
was advised by one of the villagers to place three or 
four canoes, partly filled with water, across the stream ; 
the fish, finding their progress arrested by the obstruc- 
tion, endeavored to jump over ; in doing which they 
fell in the canoes by hundreds. The contrivance suc- 
ceeded so well, that every morning I could depend 
on a plentiful supply, both for my sketch-book and 
the frying-pan. My attention was particularly at- 
tracted this time by a large fish called the valenton^ 
from its great strength which, as I was informed, 
enables him to drag a canoe after him when caught 
with the hook and line. A distressing occurrence 
took place there which nearly cost the life of a young 
man while engaged in fishing for the valenton. The 
angler and a friend were engaged in conversation, 
with their lines thrown carelessly over the sides of 
the canoe, when the fish seized the bait and ran off, 
as he is in the habit of doing. The jerk was so vio- 
lent, that the young man was unable to hold the line, 
and allowed it to slip through his hands ; he was not 
aware that at the end of the line there was another 
hook, which buried itself in the thumb of his right 



SCENES AT THE PASS OF APURITO. 



341 



hand ; the next moment he was violently pitched in 
the water and dragged for some distance, when for- 
tunately the line broke, and he was picked up almost 
insensible by his companion. During its gambols in 
the river, the valenton jumps sometimes three feet 
clear out of the water, raising a large volume of 
spray and striking the surface with its powerful tail 
in its fall ; so great is the splash, that the noise can 
be heard a great distance off, especially in the still- 
ness of the night, when the fish seems to be more 
busily engaged in hunting. 

Among the many eventful incidents of la Inde- 
pendeneia still fresh in the memory of our Leader, 
he relates an anecdote in connection with the Liberta- 
dor, Simon Bolivar, in which both these champions 
of freedom participated while engaged on an im- 
portant reconnoissance during the rainy season. The 
savannas being, as usual, overflowed for the most part, 
and there being no other means of transportation than 
the frail canoes of the country, the two chieftains were 
compelled to travel in one of these over their inund ated 
domain, with the assistance of two Indian paddlers. 
Fish were so numerous, that numbers of them, dis- 
turbed by the strokes of the paddles against the sides 
of the canoe, jumped in all directions, while not a few 
fell amidst the distinguished passengers. The Liber- 
tador who, like almost all great men, had also his 
weak points, possessed a very nervous temperament, 
especially about little things ; therefore he felt quite 
uneasy at the unceremonious intrusion from the finny 
inhabitants of his swampy realms, whose movements 
he mistook for a mischievous propensity on their part 



342 



WILD SCENES IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



to attack the wayfarer. On the other hand, our 
Leader, who was always ready to practise a good joke, 
seized the opportunity to occasionally tip the canoe so 
as to make it ship water, and more fish along with it. 
Whereupon his companion, who was not aware of the 
trick practised upon him, imagining that the fish were 
becoming bolder as they advanced, exclaimed in utter 

despair, " D n it ! Companero, let us pull back, for 

even the fish are savage in this country." 

"When the waters subside, thousands, nay, millions 
remain struggling in the ponds and little pools, left on 
the savannas, where they soon perish and rot away, 
tainting the air with their effluvium. Some of them, 
like the curito, a species of Silurus, covered with trans- 
verse plates surrounding the body, have the power of 
living buried in the indurated mud, from whence they 
are called to life again by the returning showers. 
As they form a most delicious mess, they are eagerly 
sought by men and women, who resort to these places 
armed with wicker baskets, and collect great numbers 
of the fish before they are carried away by the in- 
creasing inundation of the savannas. 

A very singular belief, shared likewise, according 
to Sir Emerson Tennent, by the people of Ceylon, 
exists in the Apure respecting fish falling from the 
clouds. Alluding to this phenomenon, that ingenious 
writer observes : " Both at Galle and Colombo in the 
southwest monsoon, fish are popularly believed to 
have fallen from the clouds during violent showers ; 
but those found on the occasions that give rise to this 
belief, consist of smallest fry, such, as could be caught 
up by water spouts an4 vortices analogous to them, 



SCENES AT- THE PASS OF APURITO. 34.3 

■> 

or otherwise blown on shore from the surf ; whereas 
those which suddenly appear in the replenished tanks 
and in the hollows which they overflow, are mature 
and well-grown fish. Besides, the latter are found 
under the circumstances I have described, in all parts 
of the interior, whilst the prodigy of a supposed fall 
of fish from the sky has been noticed, I apprehend, 
only in the vicinity of the sea or of some inland 
water." 

Although the author further explains the phenom- 
enon on the supposition that some fish are endowed 
with the power of locomotion over land, while others 
in a torpid state remain buried in the mud until the 
return of the rainy season ; yet, I have been assured 
by reliable persons that live fish have been picked up 
in places where no such possible contingencies could 
occur ; for instance, upon the roofs of houses or amidst 
wide plains far from running water. Most of those 
thus found are small, from three to seven inches 
long ; but none of them capable of living more than 
twenty minutes out of water ; and the father of the 
writer once even witnessed a fall of bocachioos, a fish 
which seldom lives over five minutes out of his own 
element. 

Having accomplished our task as well as could be 
expected from such a primitive mode of ferriage, we 
transported ourselves and chattels across the broad 
stream, and immediately commenced our slow march 
over the prairies ; our long train of baggage mules 
and wild beasts necessitated many stoppages by the 
way in order to incorporate stragglers, but more fre- 
quently to hunt anew the runaways among the latter. 



344 



WILD SCENES IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



The bulls especially showed a marked reluctance to 
leave behind their bellowing harems in the everglades 
across the river. Such was their love of home in this 
respect, that we were assured that most of those 
which succeeded in evading our pursuit, made their 
way back to their savannas in spite of the broad ex- 
paose of water which separated them. Much valu- 
able time and patience were lost in this way, while 
the increasing inundation was following fast on our 
steps, so much so, that long after we had left the 
banks of the river on our rear, we had to wade through 
a continuous sheet of water, which was every moment 
rising above the fetlocks of our beasts. We also had 
to ford several smaller streams, already swollen by 
the rapid rise of the Apure ; but, as no canoes 
could be had amidst those wilds, for love or money, 
we availed ourselves of the primitive contrivance 
devised on such occasions by means of a raw hide 
fashioned into a lighter. The trunks and boxes 
were carefully piled inside the skin, and if a person 
chose to avail himself of this frail barge, he had only 
to sit steadily on the top of the baggage ; the load 
was then carefully launched on the water, the other 
end of the rope intrusted to the swimmer and towed 
in safety to the other side. In this manner our pon- 
derous Doctor and a few others who were unwilling 
to expose their own skin to the tender mercies of the 
caribes, were successfully ferried across, although it 
required a steady nerve not to stir an inch and thus 
upset the whole concern. 

Our march across the prairies presented a splendid 
sight and was suggestive of a long file of prisoners 



SCENES AT THE PASS OF APURITO. 



345 



after a well-contested field of battle. At the head of 
the column, which extended for upward of a mile, 
marched a strong picket of horsemen, the JPunteros, 
guiding the caravan ; and on the sides and rear was 
another file of men with lazos ready to unfold after 
deserters. Lively tunes and whistling were kept up 
by the men for the diversion of the cattle, which ap- 
peared quite delighted with the music and in conse- 
quence became less restive on the march. 

When near San Jaime, I, together with a party 
of young companions, having separated ourselves 
from the rest and taken another route, lost ourselves 
in the intricate passes leading to the village. This 
circumstance, although it delayed us for some time 
from reaching the camp, led us to an abundant field 
of rich honey, the production of a small wasp called 
matajey, which builds its nest on the branches of the 
trees, in the shape of a large ball. The sting of this 
insect is so distressing, that persons affected by it be- 
come feverish and benumbed ; therefore, in order to 
possess ourselves of its delicious honey-combs, we took 
the precaution to smoke out the wasps by means of a 
burning rag at the end of a long pole applied to the 
mouth of the nest, when the whole swarm abandoned 
it to the hunters without molestation. 

It was almost dark when we arrived at San J aime, 
having hit accidentally upon the right path, after 
wandering the whole day through the woods ; but, 
being well supplied with honey and water, we did not 
regret as much the loss of our dinner, as the fact of 
its having been prepared by another kind of swarm, 
but this time of pretty girls, who had assembled for 
15* 



346 



WILD SCENES IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



the purpose at the cottage of our hospitable host. We 
enjoyed, however, the pleasure of their unsophisti- 
cated society for some time before retiring to our ham- 
mocks where, fatigued by the toils of our previous ad- 
venture, we speedily lost ourselves again in " sweet, 
balmy sleep." 

Being rather in a hurry to reach the pass before a 
sudden rise of the creeks connected with the river Por- 
tuguesa, we were up long before sunrise, and had 
barely time to partake of a substantial breakfast, pre- 
pared by our charming entertainers. 

Immediately upon our arrival at the pass, we pro- 
ceeded to force our cattle across the river, which being- 
less wide than the Apure, and our herds having be- 
come more manageable after the long march, we were 
enabled to execute it in better order and less time than 
at the former river. Still we contrived somehow or 
other to tarry here longer than was necessary, having 
wasted three days in accomplishing what might have 
been the work of one. The fact is, that we were 
rather taken up with our former feminine acquaint- 
ances, especially at the close of day, when the party 
assembled in the barracoon, destined for the fandango, 
which was usually kept up the whole night. 

Fitful accompaniment to these nocturnal revelries 
was the deafening croaking of the toads and frogs, 
now abounding by myriads in the marshes and quag- 
mires of the vicinity. The shrill, metallic notes of 
the frogs, and the hoarse croaking of their milky 
brethren, are a feature which never fails to excite 
the astonishment of strangers in those regions. The 
former especially are so striking, that were an English- 



SCENES AT THE PASS OF APURITO. 34.7 



man or American suddenly transported there, without 
knowledge of these sounds, he would imagine himself 
at home, in the neighborhood of ten thousand steam 
whistles. I was assured by our friend B., with 
reference to the toads of Guadarrama, a village on 
the banks of the Portuguesa, that one night he was 
thrown down in the street by coming in contact with 
one of these creatures, which he mistook for a boy in 
a stooping posture. Indignant at, what he supposed, 
the indiscretion of the fellow, B. was in the act of 
kicking him away when, to his surprise, he perceived 
the seeming boy slowly moving off in the shape of a 
big toad ! 



CHAPTER XXV. 



CALABOZO. 

While quietly absorbed one day in the pleasures 
of the angler by the banks of a creek not far from the 
camp, I was startled in my peaceful occupation by 
the report of fire-arms in that direction. There were 
rumors concerning the depredations of a band of rob- 
bers in that neighborhood, and therefore I had every 
reason to suppose they had been bold enough to at- 
tack our little band of resolute men with a view to 
plundering the camp. To pack up lines and port- 
folio was the work of an instant, and hurrying toward 
the camp, I arrived breathless and panting with fa- 
tigue in time to get the last glimpses of the cause of 
this uproar in the shape of a lane ha gliding quickly 
down the river. It seems that the boatmen, delighted 
with the presence of the beloved Chieftain of the 
Llanos, immediately recurred to the usual way of ex- 
pressing their enthusiasm, whether in peace or war, 
through the means of the all-potent gunpowder. In 
the afternoon of the same day a detachment of horse, 
composed for the most part of citizens from Calabozo, 



CALAB0Z0. 



349 



arrived at the pass to invite the general to their city, 
and to offer him protection, in case of need, from the 
band of desperadoes above mentioned ; these had al- 
ready been bold enough to attack the prison guard of 
Calabozo, with the object of carrying off one of its 
inmates, a prominent citizen of the place who had 
been implicated in the robbery of a large drove of 
mules. Although it was currently reported that his 
two sons were the perpetrators of this unworthy act, 
yet, the fact that the animals were found on his estate, 
and his stout refusal to implicate his sons, made him 
responsible for the robbery ; he was therefore incar- 
cerated and his trial had commenced when his sous, 
adding sedition to theft, attacked the prison during 
the night with a band of peons from their own and 
other cattle estates. The result was most disastrous 
to the assailants ; one of the sons having been badly 
wounded in the strife was taken prisoner and shot in 
the public square ; while the other forfeited his life 
soon after during the vigorous persecution undertaken 
by the citizens against his band. .Yet, this handful 
of men, badly armed and without leaders, but with a 
wide field of forest and savannas for retreat, and 
plenty of cattle for subsistence, continued for a long 
time to engage the serious attention of the govern- 
ment ; and finally, when the following revolution 
broke out, they formed the nucleus around which the 
rebel party mustered very strong. In this manner 
many depredators not only evade the punishment of 
justice for their crimes, but eventually rise in impor- 
tance, and even become leading spirits in the land 
where the laws are powerless in repressing their ex- 
cesses. 



350 



WILD SCENES IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



With this encouraging prospect before us, we bade 
adieu to the gay brunettes of La Portuguesa and took 
the straightest route to Calabozo, across the great es- 
tero or swamp of Camaguan. An entire day was 
spent in wading through this refreshing transit route, 
which, owing to the increasing rise of the river, had 
already acquired the aspect of a broad lake. Our 
horses were most of the time immersed in the water 
up to the saddle girths, and few of them escaped total 
submersion, wherever there were any depressions of 
the ground. Many of the baggage mules especially, 
having no rider to guide them, lost their footing and 
rolled in the water, to the great discomfort of those 
who had any articles of apparel in their loads. Tow- 
ard the afternoon we emerged from this dismal 
swamp and made a landing at a place called Banco 
Largo, celebrated in the annals of the horse epidemic 
as the cattle estate upon which the wrath of Heaven 
fell after the blasphemous boasting of its owner. 

We were beginning to appreciate the comfort of 
riding again upon firm ground, when we observed a 
group of horsemen emerging from the palmar on our 
right, galloping in the direction of our scouts, as if 
threatening to cut them off. Fearing lest they might 
be the baud of robbers whom we had every reason to 
suspect of evil intentions, we put spurs to our horses 
in hot chase of them. Mistaking us in turn for those 
gentry, the strangers pushed on ahead of us to evade 
our pursuit. Our scouts observing their retreat cut 
off by a larger force, were not slow in their endeavors 
to reach the farm-house, where they could defend 
themselves against the supposed robbers until we 



CALABOZO. 



351 



could come up to their assistance. The suspected 
party being mounted on fresh horses, we found it 
difficult, however, to overtake them. Fortunately 
one of their horses stumbled accidentally in a hole, 
throwing down the rider, which circumstance placed 
him in our hands ; from him we ascertained that they 
Avere not salteadores, but vaqueros from a neighboring 
cattle farm, whom the annoyances of the mosquilla 
had compelled to ride through the palmar at robber's 
speed. His companions observing that we permitted 
him to depart in peace, now slackened their pace, 
and had their fears dispelled before they could carry 
the alarm to other places that the salteadores were 
close at hand. 

At Yenegas,. a cattle State not far from Calabozo, 
we parted company with our herds, abandoning their 
care and guidance to the efficient caporals, while we 
proceeded direct to the Palmyra of the Llanos, always 
escorted by the citizen-guard who had come so far to 
meet us. Another deputation from the city, com- 
posed of the most prominent persons in the place, met 
us at the pass of the Guarico ; and after a few congrat- 
ulatory compliments, we rode on without stopping 
until we reached the village of the Mision de Abajo. 
Here we remained long enough to change our wet 
garments and partake of a collation prepared at the 
summer residence of an old soldier of Independence. 
This village is famous on account of several crystalline 
springs issuing from deep gullies made by the water 
on a hard conglomerate composed of sand, pebbles, 
and nodules of beautiful agates ; the whole cemented 
together by a calcareous substance, consisting probably 



352 



WILD SCENES IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



of minute shells of infusoria.* Some of the pools 
measure several fathoms in depth ; yet the water is 
so transparent, that the smallest pebble can be clearly 
discerned at the bottom ; I also noticed many small 
fish. These sparkling natural fountains were shaded 
by groves of balsamiferous plants, such as copaiferas, 
amyris, and carob-trees, the dark foliage of which 
was relieved by a carpet of green grass extending for 
miles around, the whole presenting an appearance of 
a well-cultivated and beautifully laid out English 
park. Thither resort, during the sultry months of 
summer, the inhabitants of Calabozo, who now came 
out in vast numbers to welcome us to their beautiful 
city. 

The procession was formed on the extensive nat- 
ural lawn, three miles in length, between the village 
and the city, which rose in the distance amidst the 
towering foliage of the fan-palms surrounding it in 
oriental magnificence. As we entered the narrow, 
but cleanly streets, the firing of muskets, pistols, and 
blunderbusses commenced amidst the vivas of the 
population, while a shower of roses fell on the favored 
head of the " Lion of the Llanos," f as he passed under 
the windows of the houses. 

The city of Calabozo, capital of the province of 
El Guarico, is situated upon the northern extremity 
of the mesa or plateau of the same name, command- 

* See Darwin, Geology of the Pampas, pp. 129—171. Murray, 1852. 

f Leon de los Llanos, or Leon de Payara — the appellation given to 
General Paez by the people after the action of San Juan de Payara in 
1837, when he defeated with his body-guard of sixty Llaneros the forces 
of the rebel chieftain Farfan, numbering one thousand. 



CALABOZO. 



353 



ing an extensive view of the picturesque country 
watered by the beautiful river which gives its name 
to the province. Unlike all the other towns of the 
Llanos, Calabozo is an extremely well-built city, w T ith 
streets running at right angles. The houses are neat 
and commodious, ranking with the best in the capital 
of the republic. It contains a number of fine churches, 
one of which was built at the expense of a wealthy 
cattle proprietor of the place ; it is one of the finest 
temples in the country. 

Words cannot do justice to the enthusiastic recep- 
tion and boundless hospitality extended to us on this 
occasion by the generous inhabitants. In addition to 
the regular entertainments, such as breakfast and 
dinner-parties, balls, and fandangos provided daily in 
their city residences, we were occasionally treated to 
a fete champetre, a la llanera, in their quintas or 
country-houses. Most of these are situated on the 
banks of the beautiful Guarico, on the slopes of the 
plateau upon which the city is built ; and there, 
amidst the most luxuriant groves of orange, lemon, 
and other tropical fruits, the abundant fare was served 
to us in true Llanero style. In the mean time the tro- 
vatori of the Llanos did not fail to enliven the scene 
with their never-ending trovas llaneras, in which espe- 
cial mention was made of the most prominent persons 
to whom we were indebted for this munificent hospi- 
tality ; but more particularly to the past deeds of the 
personage who prompted it. The broad fan-shaped 
leaves of the moriche-^dXm (Mauritia flexuosa) — the 
celebrated Tree of Life of the Warraoun Indians — 
supplied the most appropriate table-cloths on these 



354 



WILD SCENES IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



occasions, spread in the vicinity of some murmuring 
spring, issuing in most cases from the foot of the 
palm-trees. The natives believe that this plant pos- 
sesses the power of pumping water from the ground 
by means of its matted roots : they evidently con- 
found cause and effect in this, as well as in many 
other cases ; for this luxuriant palm will not thrive 
except in moist ground. The slopes of the mesa act- 
ing as a vast drain to the plain above, offer this de- 
sideratum to the moriche-ipalm.. Some of the springs 
are of a thermal character, but not too warm to pre- 
vent persons enjoying a most refreshing bath. I 
noticed, in one instance, two springs running side by 
side, one of which was cold and the other warm. The 
tide-flooded lands on the Lower Orinoco and Amazon 
rivers seem to be particularly adapted to the develop- 
ment of this noble* species of palm. " In those 
places," says "Wallace, f " there is no underwood to 
break the view among interminable ranges of huge 
columnar trunks, rising unbroken by branch or leaf 
to the height of eighty or a hundred feet, a vast nat- 
ural temple, which does not yield in grandeur and 
sublimity to those of Palmyra or Athens." 

A full-grown leaf of this tree is quite a load for 
one man to carry. The petiole, or leaf-stock, is a solid 
beam ten or twelve feet long, while the leaf or fan 
itself measures nine or ten across. The fruit, in 
bunches of three hundred and upward, perfectly re- 
sembles the cones of the white pine. When arrived at 

* Linneus, in his enthusiasm for the splendid family of palms, calls 
them the princes of the vegetable kingdom, 
f Palms of the Amazon and Rio Negro. 



CALABOZO. 



355 



its maturity, it is yellow within and scarlet without, 
covered with scales. 

The benefits of this life-supporting tree may be 
reckoned as numerous as the number of days in the 
year. From the unopened leaves the wild man of the 
forest obtains a fibre remarkable for its toughness, and 
which he twists into cordage for his bow-string and 
fishing tackle, or weaves it into elegant hammocks 
and aprons for himself and family ; he also plats them 
neatly into mats and cloaks, and even sails for his 
canoe ; when fully expanded, these leaves form the 
best thatch for his hut. From the terminal bud or 
inner layer of leaves, commonly styled the cabbage 
of the palm, the Indian procures a vegetable quite 
analogous to, and more tender and delicious than a 
similar production of the garden. The fruit in like 
manner affords a variety of alimentary substances, ac- 
cording to the season in which it is gathered, whether 
its saccharine pulp is fully mature, or whether it is in 
a green state. Like the plantain and the celebrated 
peach-palm of the Rio Negro, it is either eaten raw, 
when fully ripe, or roasted — in the latter case tasting 
very much like chestnuts. Soaked in water and al- 
lowed to ferment, it forms a pleasant drink somewhat 
resembling pulque. The ripe fruit also yields by boil- 
ing in water, an oil which is readily converted into 
soap by means of the ashes of a Clusia, {quiripiti.) 
" The spathe, too — a fibrous bag which envelops the 
fruit before maturity — is much valued by the Indian, 
furnishing him with an excellent and durable cloth. 
Taken off entire, it forms bags in which he keeps the 
red paint for his toilet, or the silk cotton for his ar- 



356 



WILD SCENES IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



rows, or he even stretches out the larger ones to make 
himself a cap, cunningly woven by nature without a 
seam or joining. When cut open longitudinally and 
pressed flat, it is used to preserve his delicate feather 
ornaments and gala dresses, which are kept in a chest 
of plaited palm-leaves between layers of smooth hussu 
cloth." * The trunk of the male tree contains a fari- 
naceous meal, yuruma, resembling sago, and like the 
fecula of the tapioca-root, it is readily converted into 
bread by simply drying it on hot earthen plates. 
Allowed to rot in the stem, this meal gives birth to 
numerous fat worms, highly esteemed by Indian gour- 
mands. Tapped near the base of the leaves, the trunk 
yields also an abundance of a sweet liquor, which, 
when fermented, forms one of the various kinds of 
palm-wines. Such are in substance some of the most 
useful products of this veritable tree of life, with which 
the existence of a rude people is as intimately con- 
nected, as that of civilized man is with the luxuries 
and comforts that surround his home. " When the 
Tamanacks," says Humboldt, " are asked how the 
human race survived the great deluge, the ' age of 
water ' of the Mexicans, they say : £ a man and a 
woman saved themselves on a high mountain, called 
Tamanacu, situated on the banks of the Asiberu, and 
casting the fruit of the moriche-palm, they saw the 
seeds contained in these fruits produce men and 
women who repeopled the earth.' Thus we find in 
all its simplicity, among nations now in a savage 
state, a tradition which the Greeks embellished with 
all the charms of imagination." 

* Wallace, Palms of the Amazon and Rio Negro. 



CALABOZO. 



357 



To protect themselves from the attacks of mosqui- 
toes and wild beasts, the tribes roaming over the 
great delta of the Orinoco, are in the habit of raising 
between the huge trunks of the palm-trees hanging 
platforms skilfully interwoven with the foliage, which 
allow them to live in the trees like monkeys. The 
floor of these aerial habitations is covered with a coat- 
ing of mud, on which the fires for household purposes 
are made. Thus when the first explorers of the Orino- 
co River penetrated for the first time into that exu- 
berant terra incognita, they were surprised to observe, 
among the tops of the palm-trees, flames issuing at 
night as if suspended in the air. " The Guaranis still 
owe the preservation of their physical, and perhaps 
their moral independence, to the half-submerged, 
marshy soil over which they roam with a light and 
rapid step, and to their elevated dwellings in the 
trees, a habitation never likely to be chosen from 
motives of religious enthusiasm by an American Sty- „ 
lites."* 

I also met for the first time at Calabozo with the 
most splendid rose-bush, or rather tree, I had ever 
seen, and which, appears to be indigenous to that hot 
region, as I am told that the same grows in great 
luxuriance at San Fernando and Ciudad Bolivar, but 
was unknown to the rest of the country previous to 
our visit to the Llanos. Being passionately fond of 
flowers myself, I did not neglect to bring along with 
me this beautiful new variety to our home in the 
Yalleys of Aragua, where it soon displayed its count- 

* The followers of a sect founded in Syria by the fanatical pillar- 
saint, Simeon Sinanites. — Humboldt. 



358 WILD SCENES IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



less blossoms to the admiring gaze of the passers by. 
From thence it was also carried by me to Caracas, 
where it soon became , the general favorite of the fair 
dames of the Capital, who by unanimous accord 
named it, not as might be supposed after the intro- 
ducer, but after his father, with which the former was 
equally well satisfied ; and certainly no more beauti- 
ful compliment could have been paid their favorite 
champion, than by associating his name with the 
acknowledged Queen of Beauty among flowers. The 
size attained by this plant surpasses any thing of the 
kind with which I am acquainted. When favored by 
a dry and hot climate like that of Calabozo, its shoots 
attain a height of fifteen to twenty feet with a cor- 
responding thickness ; so that a hammock with its 
usual load can be supported between two trees ; and 
as these put out a great number of branches, each of 
them loaded with flowers or buds ready to expand, 
they present a sight truly splendid. A hundred blos- 
soms may be plucked each morning of the year with- 
out marring its luxuriant beauty. I have myself 
counted over one thousand buds on a- single plant. 
These flowers are of a delicate pink color, with very 
regular petals of a deciduous nature ; so that in de- 
taching themselves from the calix, they cover the 
ground upon which the parent grows, with a rosy 
carpet. 

" Sin flores y sin hermosas 
Que fuera de los mortales ? 
Bien habeis nacido, rosas, 
Sobre el lodo de los males." 

— Akolas. 



CALABOZO. 



359 



TRANSLATION. 

" Without beauty, without flowers, 
What would be this world of ours ? 
Well, that e'en in misery dire 
Find we roses 'mid the mire." 

The truth of the above sentiment we soon realized ; 
from this time a succession of misfortunes, commencing 
with a violent attack of fever which nearly carried us 
all to the grave, and ending with the destruction of 
our property and peaceful homes, followed one another 
without intermission. 

The fever was doubtless induced by our previous 
exposure on the journey and subsequent dissipations 
at Calabozo, although the city itself is one of the 
healthiest spots in the republic. Unfortunately, our 
physician, who was blessed with a very jealous wife, 
had been summoned home by his better half on hear- 
ing of our approach to the fairy metropolis of the 
Llanos. However, there were two or three medical 
gentlemen in the place, and these, with the unremit- 
ting kindness and assistance of the ladies, managed 
to keep us alive until a skilful physician, who had 
been sent for, arrived from the Valleys of Aragua. 
The critical condition of our respected Leader and sire 
particularly gave them serious fears, as the fever in 
his case had commenced to assume a malignant char- 
acter. Courier after courier was despatched across 
the miry plains to hasten the arrival of the doctor, 
while the generous inhabitants vied with each other 
in the anxious cares with which they surrounded the 
sick-bed of their beloved guest. Years have rolled 
on, and many changes have since taken place, both 



360 



WILD SCENES IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



in the affairs of the nation and in the fortunes of the 
subject of these remarks ; yet, their love for the 
" Martyr of San Antonio," * far from diminishing, 
seems to have increased during his protracted exile ; 
for, as I write these lines, a petition addressed to the 
actual President of the republic demanding his recall, 
and signed by all the inhabitants of Calabozo, has 
come to hand, protesting in the strongest terms against 
the impolicy and injustice of leaving him still in exile 
when the nation most needs his counsel and influence. 
Justly deprecating the horrors of civil war and the 
want of unity which have existed in the republic since 
the downfall of the Monagas party, the petitioners 
conclude with this feeling outburst of patriotic solici- 
tude for the absence of their favorite champion : 
" From the far-off shores of the Arauca, to the sources 
of our own Guarieo, our anxious horsemen watch in- 
cessantly the far horizon, inquire from the passing 
breezes of the destinies of the Hero, who has con- 
demned himself to voluntary exile, and then exclaim 
with a sigh : ' "Were he again to lead us on to battle, 
Victory would be forthcoming, strengthened by Peace, 
and blessed by the vanquished.' " 

* San Antonio, an old castle in Cumana, where General Paez was 
kept in durance for nine months by the late ruler of Venezuela, General 
Jose T. Monagas. 



CHAPTER XXVI. 



CARACAS. 

When sufficiently convalescent to proceed on our 
journey, we left Calabozo for the Valleys escorted by. 
every man who had a horse to carry him. At Mor- 
rocoyes we parted company with our numerous ret- 
inue, and hastened home before the fever should re- 
appear, as is often the case ; and indeed, no sooner 
had we recovered in some measure the fatigue of the 
journey, than this terrible scourge again attacked us 
with renewed violence. Our leader especially was so 
prostrated by it, that little hope was entertained of 
his recovery. He survived, however, to be recalled 
to the field in consequence of serious disturbances oc- 
casioned by that bone of contention in our unhappy 
republics — Presidential elections. The Guzmancistas 
or. followers of Guzman — the ambitious politician al- 
ready alluded to — fearing to risk the constitutional 
elections, resolved to carry them by force. With this 
object, Guzman collected in Caracas an immense rab- 
ble at the head of which ho marched toward Mar- 
ia 



362 



WILD SCENES IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



acay, ostensibly upon some trifling pretext, but act- 
ually in the hope of first securing the person of the 
General, and then joining some scattered bands across 
the lake. I have mentioned (in the fourth chapter of 
this narrative) how he succeeded in enticing the lower 
classes to join him by false promises of rewards in the 
shape of bounty lands at the expense of the indus- 
trious few who did not side with him. Remission of 
old scores of debts, pending judgments for various 
crimes and the freedom of the slaves, were included 
in his grand programme. 

We were at dinner in the plantation when the 
General received a government despatch appointing 
him to the command of the army, but this being a 
myth, no standing force of any account existing in 
Yenezuela previous to these troubles, the General-in- 
Chief mustered again his late band of devoted attend- 
ants and a few friends from Maracay, who rallied 
round him on hearing of the approaching phalanx of 
Guzmancistas. The appointment did not arrive an 
hour too soon ; for, as we were engaged in answer- 
ing the despatches, information was received of a 
large force of negroes descending on the Valleys from 
the mountains called La Sierra across the lake. 

Though still enfeebled by our late illness, we were 
compelled to march all night under a drenching rain 
and through mud reaching to our horses' bellies, in 
search of the marauders, who had already been re- 
pulsed from Yilla de Cura. We met them at the vil- 
lage of Magdaleno, whence we dislodged them after 
a sharp engagement. General Paez very narrowly 
escaped a shot from a blunderbuss fired so closely 



CARACAS. 



363 



upon him, as to sprinkle his blouse with the unburned 
powder. The swiftness of his horse, which dashed 
forward at the moment, saved his rider from perhaps 
an untimely death. Protected by the mountains, the 
insurgents collected again in a few weeks, and de- 
scending on the plains, tried their fortunes against 
Calabozo, but were met by the citizens at a place 
called Limon, near San Pablo, and totally routed. 
We arrived shortly afterward in time to assist in their 
dispersion, and succeeded in securing some of the 
leaders, among others the famous Jose Urbano, al- 
ready mentioned. Guzman and his formidable rab- 
ble, in the mean time, considering discretion the 
better part of valor, concluded to postpone their 
threatened attack on the oligarcas of Maracay, and 
returned to that hotbed of sedition and revolution, 
Caracas, to await their opportunity. The govern- 
ment, however, as a precautionary measure, and with 
abundant proofs of their criminality, ordered the ar- 
rest of the most prominent ringleaders, whereupon all 
fears of an outbreak at the capital were dispelled. 
But it was soon discovered that the insurrection had 
its ramifications in various parts of the province, 
especially among the wild regions of the east, bor- 
dering the plains of Barcelona. For the suppression 
of this faction, General Jose T. Monagas, for a long 
time the bete noire of that section, was appointed 
second in command of the army ; and such was the 
energy displayed by him on the occasion, that he cap- 
tured and executed in a few days the greater part of 
his opponents. On the other hand, the General-in- 
Chief, finding no more enemies to conquer, freed all 



364: 



WILD SCENES IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



his prisoners, excepting the leaders, who were reserved 
for trial by the proper authorities, and returned to his 
home in the Valleys of Aragua. Strenuous efforts 
had been made by his friends during his absence to 
secure his election to the Presidency, although he had 
repeatedly manifested through the press and in his 
private correspondence his unwillingness to serve for 
a third period. Finding, however, that his fellow- 
citizens still persisted in their efforts, he decided to 
quit his country, that he might be thereby disquali- 
fied for office. On this decision becoming known, it 
was finally agreed to elect Monagas, then at Barce- 
lona, and we proceeded to Caracas for the purpose of 
receiving him. 

The elevation of this individual to the Presidency 
of the Republic, although he had only figured until 
then as a guerilla chief and the sworn enemy of con- 
stitutional rights, was considered at the time a stroke 
of policy, hoping thus to satisfy his grasping ambi- 
tion, which had ever aspired to the chief place of the 
nation. How he acquitted himself in his new trust, 
the murdered members of the Congress which ele- 
vated him will show. 

We arrived in the capital amidst the greatest 
manifestations of popular favor and respect to the 
General-in-Chief. The streets were crowded with 
people of all parties and conditions. The loveliest 
ladies were deputed to present crowns of laurel to 
our Leader, while from the windows and balconies 
hung garlands and festoons of the most exquisite 
flowers, and banners inscribed with appropriate mot- 
toes and devices. Every street corner was spanned 



CARACAS. 365 



366 



WILD SCENES IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



by triumphal arches, tastefully decorated with flags 
aud allegorical paintings, among them the portraits 
of Bolivar and Paez were conspicuous. The air re- 
sounded with the acclamations of the populace and 
the bursting of rockets fired almost from under our 
horses' feet, while so densely crowded were the streets, 
as to render our progress through them all but im- 
possible. Yet the same multitude which then shouted 
its enthusiastic vivas to " the disinterested patriot," 
a year later demanded his head from the tyrant Mo- 

nagas 

A splendid collation had been prepared by the cit- 
izens of Caracas in the spacious corridors of the Gen- 
eral's house, while the cellars were stocked with the 
choicest wines and delicacies. It was well understood 
throughout the city that Monagas and his troop of 
demi-savages — still at Barcelona plotting the ruin of 
the republic — were to be the guests of General Paez un- 
til a suitable house was prepared for them. However, 
the new President delayed his coming, and this delay 
was the more ominous, from the fact that the country 
was yet in a very unsettled condition. Many of the 
ringleaders in the late insurrection were still at large, 
and the gang of La Sierra had again shown itself in 
great force led by Kangel, a bold half-breed, once the 
follower of Cisneros, another Indian bandit, who, 
under pretence of fighting for Spain, had held the 
neighborhood of Caracas in terror during eleven 
years. But, as is often the case in countries involved 
in civil war, the tables were now turned, and this 
former terror of the mountains became the most effi- 
cient instrument in the suppression of the lawless 



CARACAS. 



367 



hordes then roving the inaccessible mountain passes 
of La Sierra. He was accordingly intrusted by the 
General-in-Chief with their extermination, although 
it must be confessed he occasionally evinced a some- 
what dangerous partiality to his old ally, Rangel — 
while we remained at Caracas awaiting from day to 
day the advent of the future renegade, Monagas. 

The manner in which the savage Indian chief was 
converted from a merciless brigand into a submissive 
slave of General Paez's will is rather singular, and 
therefore I may be permitted to give it place among 
these "Wild Scenes. Although the power of Spain, 
under whose banner he claimed to wage a fierce war 
against society, had been non est in Yenezuela for 
many years, he continued to harass the best troops in 
the republic during all that time, until General Paez, 
finding it impossible to capture him by force, endeav- 
ored to subdue him by gentle dealing. A son of the 
bandit, a lad of seven or eight years, had been cap- 
tured by the troops and sent as a trophy to the Gen- 
eral. The little savage was so wild, that no one dared 
to approach him : his teeth and claws, for such seemed 
his long and sharp-nailed fingers, would have torn in 
a moment the friendly hand extended to caress or 
touch him ; therefore his baptism, until then neg- 
lected, was postponed till he became more tract- 
able. The General himself stood his godfather, and 
one of the ladies in the family as godmother. The 
little Christianized savage was now sent to boarding- 
school in company with the other children of his god- 
father, and treated in all respects as one of them. 
When intelligence of his son's good fortune reached 



368 



WILD SCENES IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



the ears of Cisneros, who had hitherto supposed him 
dead, the old bandit was so moved that he sent a 
letter of thanks by one of his wives to his compadre, 
protesting nevertheless his determination to continue 
faithful to His Majesty of Spain. General Paez im- 
proved this opportunity to propose an interview in 
whatever place or manner most agreeable to Cisneros. 
At first a downright refusal was returned, he suspect- 
ing treachery even from a compadre, which relation is 
in some sort a sacred bond between parents and god- 
father : he could not comprehend why a man in the 
position of the General should trust himself among 
savages, having no other motive than the pleasure of 
an interview. A second invitation was tendered him 
through some women emissaries — no man venturing 
to penetrate his camp — and this time with better re- 
sults ; he consented to the interview, but with the 
express condition that the General should find his 
way alone to the bandit's haunts in the mountains of 
Tuy, south of Caracas. The undertaking was a most 
hazardous one, but there was no help for it. Thither 
the General directed his course, notwithstanding the 
most strenuous opposition, not only on the part of his 
family, but also from the entire population. A num- 
ber of gentlemen escorted him as far as the entrance 
to the forest, where they remained anxiously awaiting 
the issue. Following the route marked out in the 
letter of instructions sent to him, the General waded 
through the forest until he was stopped by a dismal 
Quien vive f from one of the sentries. The challenge 
being satisfactorily answered, he was directed to pro- 
ceed forward. Another Quien vive f made him con- 



CARACAS. 



369 



scious of a long file of savage soldiers, with guns 
levelled at his head. Onward he went, expecting 
each moment to hear the word fuego ! (fire ;) but, to 
his great surprise, not a word more was uttered until 
he reached the head-quarters of the chief, under a 
large ceiba tree. From the renown and prowess of 
Cisneros, the General expected to behold a powerful 
Indian warrior, surrounded by a staff of equally ath- 
letic men. What was his wonder and disappoint- 
ment to perceive a puny creature, his face nearly con- 
cealed under a mass of dangling hair, advancing 
toward him ! His voice, too, was so shrill and effem- 
inate, that the General could not but in his turn sus- 
pect some knavery. He observed, however, that this 
caricature of a man carried in his hand in lieu of a 
peace pipe, a formidable blunderbuss, widely known 
throughout the country, and which, from its size, no 
other than Cisneros would have ventured to fire. Eo 
further introduction was needed ; so, extending his 
arms toward the stranger, the General embraced his 
compadre, blunderbuss and all. Notwithstanding this 
cordial demonstration of friendship, the bandit ap- 
peared rather shy or covetous of the silver-mounted 
sword hanging at his guest's side, which the General 
perceiving, immediately despoiled himself of, and 
presented to his compadre with another embrace. 
The temptation was too great. Casting all reserve 
aside, Cisneros laid his blunderbuss against the tree 
and invited his compadre to sit beside him in his own 
hammock. The General, now exerting all his tact, 
endeavored to persuade the stubborn bandit to aban- 
don his career of crime for the less hazardous pursuits 

10* 



370 



WILD SCENES IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



of civilized communities ; offering in the name of the 
republic to continue him in the rank and pay of Colo- 
nel, the same grade he then held in the service of 
Spain. To this Cisneros replied that he had sworn 
fealty to the King his master, and therefore could not 
hear of any proposition to betray the confidence re- 
posed in him. Without committing himself in the 
least, he finally consented to accept an invitation 
from the General to return the visit at some future 
day, which he did, a fortnight later, escorted by his 
whole band of savages. He would not, however, ad- 
vance beyond the village of El Yalle, three miles 
from Caracas. Thither the curious people of the cap- 
ital hastened in crowds, attracted by the fame of the 
strange guest, who, finally, was so captivated by the 
universal cordiality of his reception, that he concluded 
to remain, accepting the reiterated proposals tendered 
him by the General. He then disbanded his body 
guard of four hundred Indian soldiers, all of whom 
were retained in the service of Government, and be- 
took himself to the raising of cattle after the example 
of his compadre, who advanced him the requisite 
number of heads to establish a fundacion in the In- 
dian village of Camatagua. La cobra tira al monte, 
says the proverb, which may be rendered, " the dog 
will return to his bone." Poor Cisneros, after doing 
good service in ridding the country of marauders, 
thus retrieving, in some measure, his past misdeeds, 
became at last suspected of conniving at the escapes 
of his former comrade, Kangel ; so much so that the 
General-in-Chief found it necessary to dispossess him 
of his command, summoning him to his head-quarters 



CARACAS. 



371 



at Villa de Cura, whither he returned for this object. 
One night, while the General was conversing with 
two of his staff in the corridor of a lonely house 
where he was stopping just beyond the town, Cis- 
neros, blunderbuss and sword in hand, appeared sud- 
denly before him. Immediately suspecting treachery, 
the General advanced toward him and inquired, 
" Why are you here ? " — " I come," Cisneros coolly 
replied, " to demand the cause of my removal." 
Said the General, " Are you alone ? " — " My men are 
there," — quickly retorted Cisneros, pointing to an 
open field in the rear. Even as he spoke, the General 
snatched the sword and blunderbuss from the aston- 
ished guerrillero, and ordering one of the officers to 
put him immediately in irons, directed the other to 
go in search of the men and conduct them to the bar- 
racks. 

Further investigation showed that Cisneros, dis- 
pleased at being superseded in his command by a 
Lieutenant-Colonel, called upon his men to follow 
him, an invitation which was readily complied with 
by one-third of them at least ; and many more would 
doubtless have followed, had it not been for the 
prompt decision of that officer, who ordered back the 
rest — warning them of the danger they incurred in 
thus disobeying the orders of the General-in-Chief. 
Escorted by the recreants, Cisneros then made his 
way down to Villa de Cura, which place he ap- 
proached stealthily under cover of night. 

A council of war was ordered for the next day, 
and the evidence of his guilt being furnished by him- 
self, he was condemned to be shot as soon as the sen- 



372 WILD SCENES IN SOUTH AMERICA. 

tence should be approved by the higher authority. 
In the mean time, Cisneros, believing firmly that all 
this was only gotten up by his co?npadre to frighten 
others, did not manifest the least concern as to the 
issue. He alleged that some, more criminal than him- 
self in inciting the insurrection, were at large in the 
capital and other places, and therefore he had nothing 
to fear. Contrary to his expectations, however, when 
the sentence was returned he found that the General 
had ordered his execution. Still Cisneros, impressed 
with the sacred nature of the bond existing between 
him and the General-in-Chief, could not be convinced 
that he would be shot ; but when finally conducted 
to the place of execution, he became very submissive, 
and demanding permission to speak, addressed the 
crowd assembled in the plaza, protesting his inno- 
cence of the charge of treason imputed to him, al- 
though he acknowledged that this was but the just 
reward of his former crimes. 

A few days later, the body also of Rangel, pierced 
with bullets and thrown across the back of a donkey, 
was brought in, he having been tracked in the forest 
and shot by an expert mountaineer, after a defeat sus- 
tained from the government forces at Pagiiito. 

All fears of further insurrection being now dis- 
pelled, we turned our steps toward the capital, where 
we arrived in season to comply with the request of 
Monagas, that General Paez should be the first to 
welcome him at the wharf of La Guaira. 



CHAPTER XXVII. 



MOXAGAS. 

A whole month elapsed between the election of 
Monagas and his arrival at La Guaira, whither the 
General-in-Chief went to meet him. Preparatory 
to his public reception in the capital, I received in- 
structions from head-quarters to have a dejeuner d la 
fourchette prepared at Catia, a hamlet near Caracas. 
There I met for the first time this " Tiger of the East," 
as he was appropriately styled, and his troop of blood- 
hounds. Among these the most conspicuous were his 
brother Jose Gregorio, also a General, and the famous 
Juan Sotillo, whom I have already introduced to the 
reader's acquaintance in a former chapter. 

Excepting a habit of never meeting the person's 
eye with whom he is conversing, the elder Monagas 
has a most commanding appearance, being over six 
feet in height, and possesses features expressive of great 
determination. Although he had already attained the 
advanced age of sixty-two years, he scarcely represented 
fifty at most, having black glossy hair and moustache. 



374 



WILD SCENES IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



But notwithstanding these advantages, his personnel 
seemed not to produce a favorable impression upon 
the people who came to receive him ; for, as the pro- 
cession moved through the streets, the acclamations 
of the multitude were mostly directed to the General- 
in-Chief beside him, a circumstance we all regretted 
exceedingly, and from which he seems to have taken 
mortal offence. A characteristic incident occurred 
during the procession among the followers of the new 
President, which elicited much merriment. As the 
cavalcade entered the streets of the capital, Juan So- 
tillo rode up to Jose Gregorio, and passing his arm 
through that of his foster-brother, the two proceeded 
along through the procession apparently greatly sat- 
isfied of their own gallantry. It was well known in 
the capital that the two Llaneros were una y came, 
i. e. blackguards both ; and indeed, if we are to judge 
the former by the spelling of his own signature, which 
instead of Sotillo reads Sopillo, (confirmed villain,) no 
doubt could be entertained respecting the character 
of one of them at least. 

The cavalcade, after marching along the Calle del 
Comercio, alighted, as had been arranged, at the 
house of the General-in-Chief, situated at the end of 
the street. Matters progressed very pleasantly with 
our guests for about a month, when they removed to 
their new residence. Several splendid balls and bull 
fights provided by the citizens were given in honor 
of the strangers, when it was observed that the Presi- 
dent, although extremely partial to the latter, declined 
attending both. The mission of our Leader being now 
accomplished, we returned to Maracay, expecting to 



MONAGAS. 



375 



recruit from our fatigues in that quiet little town. 
But even there our repose was interrupted by various 
reports reaching us almost daily respecting the mis- 
doings of the new President. His entire cabinet, 
composed of high-minded men, disgusted with his 
perfidious conduct, soon resigned and retired into 
private life, thus leaving the fate of the republic in 
the hands of an unscrupulous ruler. The perverse 
adherents of Guzman, who had suffered the most 
from him while in command of the army of the East, 
were now the first to surround and lavish upon him 
the basest flattery for the purpose of gaining him over 
to their party. Guzman, still in prison undergoing 
his trial for riot and sedition, was immediately set 
free by Monagas ; while Bias Bruzual, the leader of 
the so-called liberal party, became at once his confi- 
dential adviser. A year later, these two unprincipled 
demagogues, who then held high offices in the state, 
very nearly lost their heads at the hands of one of the 
myrmidons of the despot for expressing sentiments 
derogatory to his administration. 

In a word, I will state that soon after his installa- 
tion in the Executive power, Monagas commenced 
subverting the constitution of Venezuela, and sur- 
rounded himself with all those who had in former 
years openly waged war against the fundamental law. 
He removed all the officers and commanders of the 
militia, and substituted his own partisans ; refused to 
appoint as Governors of provinces the persons nomi- 
nated according to law, and placed in their stead his 
own creatures. He collected and took possession of 
all arms belonging to the State, and gave them into 



376 



WILD SCENES IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



the hands of his followers, disarmed the active or 
regular militia, and called into service the paid mili- 
tia, or militia of reserve, without the authority of law 
as required by the constitution. He also excited and 
encouraged dissension and jealousy between the dif- 
ferent classes of the community. The result of all 
these acts was, that articles of impeachment were 
presented against him in the House of Representa- 
tives in the manner provided by the constitution ; 
but on the 24th of January, 1848, as the House was 
proceeding to take into consideration the accusation, 
the militia of reserve, called into service by Monagas, 
officered and paid by him, attacked the House and 
fired upon the representatives of the people ; a scene 
of bloodshed and slaughter ensued ; eleven members 
and other citizens were murdered, among the former 
* the distinguished statesman, Santos Michelena ; but 
notwithstanding that Monagas had especially com- 
manded his myrmidons to bring him the heads of five 
other prominent members, viz., Hermenegildo Garcia, 
P. J. Rojas, J. Y. Gonsalez, J. M. Rojas, and Simon 
Camacho, strange to relate, not one fell into their 
hands, and, with the exception of the two first, are 
now living to rejoice in the downfall of their would- 
be butcher. The House of Representatives was de- 
serted, and the members fled in consternation to their 
homes ; several found refuge in the various foreign 
legations at the capital, whence they, along with sev- 
eral others, were dragged the next day into the House 
and compelled to pass a general amnesty in favor of 
all concerned in the bloody tragedy. I was in Car- 
acas at the time, making preparations to embark for 



M ON AG AS. 



377 



the West Indies with some members of my family, 
and can bear testimony to the abominations of this 
modern St. Bartholomew. The house of the generous 
French Charge, Monsieur David, whose guests we 
then were, presented a scene which I shudder to de- 
scribe. Monsieur David, who had witnessed the hor- 
rors of the Greek war for independence, declared that 
these scenes reminded him of similar ones enacted by 
the Turks in the Grecian Archipelago. But this was 
only in keeping with the deed which gained Monagas 
his appellation of " Tiger of the East," when, treach- 
erously introducing himself in an Indian village, and 
inviting the inhabitants to assemble in the church, 
under pretence of bestowing rewards in the name of 
the Spaniards whom they served, he closed the doors 
and fired the building. As the poor wretches in the 
extremity of their despair endeavored to spring from 
the windows, they were caught upon the lances of 
their foes and brutally massacred. Thus Monagas 
annihilated an entire village, sparing neither age nor 
sex, and this under the plea of avenging some atroci- 
ties which had actually been perpetrated by Span- 
iards in his own camp. 

This total subversion of law produced great con- 
sternation throughout the republic. The people 
turned again to Paez and reminded him of his 
promises to stand by them and protect their liberties. 
Several towns and provinces declared against the 
usurpation of Monagas, and called upon Paez to re- 
store the constitution. Convinced in my own mind 
that he would respond to this call as soon as the news 



378 



WILD SCENES IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



of the catastrophe should reach him, I made strenu- 
ous efforts to depart for Curacao, all the avenues to 
the interior being closely guarded by the partisans of 
Monagas. Notwithstanding the promise he had given 
us only the previous day, to the effect that he would 
grant whatever request we might see fit to ask of 
him, when applied to for our passports, demurred, his 
plea being that such a step on our part would, 
abroad, bring discredit on his government ! He also 
tried in vain to induce our removal from the protec- 
tion of the French Legation to his own house, doubt- 
less in anticipation of some aggressive movement on 
the part of our Leader, then on his way to New Gra- 
nada, the inhabitants of our sister republic having ten- 
dered him an invitation to visit them. We, persisting 
in our first determination, were at length permitted 
to leave for La Guaira, escorted by an aide-de-camp 
of Monagas, just one day before the news reached 
the capital that General Paez was in arms against 
the tyrant. 

On the 4th of February we embarked on board a 
Dutch schooner for the peaceful island of Curacao, to 
the northwest of La Guaira. Sped by the trade- 
wind and current, we descried on the morning of the 
5th the red roofs of the quaint old town of Willem- 
stadt, capital of the island, and the two splendid forts 
commanding the harbor's entrance. An hour or two 
more "before the wind," brought our swift craft 
within its tranquil waters, where we were soon sur- 
rounded by a fleet of clumsy punts, manned by as 
ragged and vociferous a set of negroes as ever shone 
under a tropical sun. With one hand upon the long 



MONAGAS. 



379 



oar by which they propelled and steered at the same 
time their boats, with the other they endeavored to 
direct our attention to themselves, almost bewildering 
us with their cosmopolitan patois ; now offering to 
transport our persons and chattels in their pouches 
for only one placa, about one cent ; now extolling the 
merits of their employer's hotel or boarding-house, 
none of these, however, remarkable for cleanliness or 
comfort. 

On the wharf of Punda, a suburb of the town de- 
voted to business and the goddess Cloacina, we were 
met by a crowd of more familiar faces, composed of 
other refugees from our unhappy country, who had 
succeeded in evading the vigilance of guards stationed 
on all the roads leading to the seacoast as well as to 
the interior, and now accosted us with anxious glances 
and inquiries respecting the fate of the beloved ones 
left behind. Among them we discovered the plump 
and honest face of many a Dutchman, who hastened 
to offer us those hospitable civilities so acceptable in 
a foreign land. 

Finding the proximity of punt-drivers and fruit- 
venders none the most odorous, notwithstanding the 
display of delicious fruit that lined the wharves, and 
the accommodations at the hotel not so inviting as 
had been represented to us, we removed to La Otra 
Banda, by far the most decent qu artier of the four 
into which the town is divided, where, for a compara- 
tively small sum, we hired a furnished house. 

I soon made myself familiar with the few points 
of attraction in the island ; and having been favored 
with the sympathy and kind attentions of its inhab- 



3 SO • WILD SCENES IN SOUTH AMERICA. 

itants from the moment of our arrival, had abundant 
opportunities for visiting their beautiful country resi- 
dences, embowered in groves of mango, tamarind, 
and other equally splendid fruit trees. Curacao is 
justly celebrated in this respect, especially for its 
Sapodillas, (Achras sapota,) undoubtedly the finest 
in the tropics. The bergamot orange, from whose 
rind is distilled in Holland the delicious liqueur 
which bears the name of the island, also grows there 
in the greatest profusion. 

There was so aristocratic an air of careful order 
about these rural retreats as to recall at every step the 
proverbial neatness of the mother country. Many of 
the farms are devoted to the raising of sheep and 
goats, including a few horned cattle ; but the greater 
portion of the lands are occupied with plantations of 
the aloe socotrina and the cochineal cactus, from both 
of which Curacao and its dependencies, Bonaire and 
Oruba, obtain a fine revenue. A large quantity of 
salt is also exported from those islands, which, to 
gether with large receipts of goat-skins from the 
neighboring Yenezuelian province of Coro, contribute 
to maintain a brisk trade between Curacao and the 
United States. 

The island has an area of about one hundred and 
seventy miles ; it is hilly in the interior, although not 
very high ; the shores are bold and rocky, showing 
evident proofs of its coralline formation and subse- 
quent elevation. It scarcely contains any water, and 
the soil is poor as a general thing, although the in- 
dustrious inhabitants, of whom there are about fifteen 
thousand, make up for the deficiency in this respect. 



MONAGAS. 



381 



A great portion of my time was employed at 
Curacao in scanning from an eminence the distant 
horizon, in anxious expectation of some vessel from 
La Guaira bringing glad tidings of the tyrant's down- 
fall, or at least something concerning the movements 
of our beloved Leader. Yain were our hopes ; every 
new arrival was eagerly sought and questioned, only 
to learn that Monagas was daily reenforced with volun- 
tary levies from the colored population, whom his 
satellites had no difficulty in persuading that unless 
they enlisted freely under his black banner, they 
would all be branded and sold by the " ambitious 
Paez " to the English ! Of such stuff are often, alas ! 
composed the armies raised in South America for the 
enslavement of higher intellect and constitutional 
rights. I may remark here, en passant, that far from 
aiming at the perpetuation of slavery in Venezuela, 
General Paez exerted himself, both as a magistrate 
and private individual, in accomplishing the gradual 
emancipation of the few still remaining in the repub- 
lic, enacting laws to such effect during his adminis- 
tration, and giving freedom to all those in his posses- 
sion whose good conduct and fidelity entitled them 
to that benefit. Yet, so successful were the agents 
of despotism in propagating those absurd notions, 
and so great the contagious effect of that base cal- 
umny, that it spread even to the miserable aloe- 
scented punt-drivers of Curacao, whose insolence 
toward the refugees already required the inter- 
vention and assistance of the police on many occa- 
sions. 

Tired at length of such uncertainty, and learning 



382 WILD SCENES IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



that the forces of Maracaibo had occupied the prov- 
ince of Coro, I sailed for La Yela on the night of the 
16th of March. Several other gentlemen, desirous 
like myself of sharing with the gallant maracaiberos 
the hardships of the first campaign for the reestablish- 
ment of order, also accompanied me. The distance 
from Curacao to the mainland being only thirty 
miles, we arrived at the open roadstead of La Yela 
before we were even aware of our approach to the 
coast. A more barren and desolate spot than 
this, I believe, does not exist even in Arabia Petrea. 
A few straggling houses in a state of decadence and 
misery, surrounded on all sides by prickly cactuses 
and acacias (cujies,) which constitute the principal 
sustenance of numerous flocks of goats raised here by 
the inhabitants, formed the tout ensemble of the old- 
est port in South America. We had some difiiculty 
in finding any one from whom we could ascertain 
whether the place was still under the sway of el 
Gkande Asesino, or under the auspices of La Restau- 
racion. 

With this discouraging prospect before us, and 
enlisting at once the services of some stray donkeys 
left behind as unserviceable by the retreating mona- 
gueros, we took the road leading to the capital, over 
an extensive quagmire or salina formed by the rising 
tides. A low range of moving sand hills, extending 
for several miles along the sea-shore, prevents the en- 
tire obliteration of the route. 

Our donkeys behaved admirably, considering their 
emaciated condition and the spongy nature of the 
ground which, in addition to the sprinkling of sand 



MONAGAS. 



383 



from tlie medanos, had imbibed sufficient salt water 
to render it almost impassable. 

Another striking feature of the landscape we 
traversed, was the number and varieties of the cactus 
tribe growing there in society with the bristling 
cujies, (mimosa ternecina, negra, and others,) forming 
impenetrable thickets to any but the corianos, through- 
out the province. The pods of these mimosas afford 
excellent nourishment to the troops of mules and asses, 
as well as goats, constituting the principal wealth of 
the inhabitants ; while the cactuses contain a watery 
sap sufficient to atone for the total want of springs in 
those barren flats. Upon one of them, four or five 
miles beyond La Yela, the ancient city of Coro, once 
the capital of Venezuela Proper, stands to the present 
day ; neither the ravages of time — its existence dating 
from the year 1527 — nor the descent of English free- 
booters in 1567, who captured it after a desperate as- 
sault ; nor the devastating War of Independence, end- 
ing only with the almost total extermination of the in- 
habitants, having destroyed the very decided influence 
it still exerts over the destinies of the country at large. 

Although the forces from Maracaibo, under the 
command of the noble-minded Pinango, encountered 
very little opposition from the Monagas party in Coro, 
additional reinforcements were despatched thither by 
sea from Caracas ; these were landed in the eastern 
part of the province, too far off from Pinango's base 
of operations to guard against the advancing columns 
of the enemy. Still, Pinango had largely increased 
his army with additional levies from various parts of 
the province, and with these prepared to meet the 



384 



WILD SCENES IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



enemy on his own ground. Accordingly on the 3d of 
April he moved with his whole force toward La Vela, 
but had not proceeded further when he received in- 
telligence that the enemy was rapidly advancing from 
an opposite direction. After deliberating on the best 
course, he determined to await his foe on the plain of 
La Vela, the approach to which was well covered by 
some war schooners just arrived from Maracaibo. 

We remained two days at La Yela in hourly ex- 
pectation of a brush with the enemy, who our 
scouts informed us was at Taratara, a hamlet not far 
from our camp, where, protected by an impenetrable 
barrier of cactuses and mimosas, and in greater num- 
bers than we could oppose to them, they awaited our 
advance. Pifiango, therefore, very wisely resolved to 
embark with his whole force for Maracaibo, but the 
commanders of the vessels refusing to receive his 
troops on board, he suddenly changed his tactics and 
gave the order to advance upon the enemy. 

"We had no difficulty in driving in their pickets 
toward Taratara, and shortly after the action became 
general. Unfortunately, the regiment detailed by 
Pifiango to outflank the enemy became inextricably 
involved amidst the bristling cactuses, while their 
opponents poured murderous volleys upon them from 
behind some wooden fences, where they had in- 
trenched themselves. Several of our best officers 
were either killed at once or mortally wounded ; 
among the latter our lamented Chief, whom we were 
forced to leave behind in the flight that ensued. 
Happily the enemy, mistaking our movement for a 
feint, pursued us with only a small body of cavalry, 



MONAGAS. 



385 



which, although keeping at ^ respectable distance, 
added to the confusion of our retreating soldiers. 
Yery few of us were fortunate enough to gain the 
schooners with the help of the few boats at our dis- 
posal ; the remainder were either dispersed or taken 
prisoners before they reached the beach. 

Although poorly mounted, but well provided with 
an excellent double-barrelled gun, I succeeded after a 
hard ride in reaching the sea-shore, where I was 
picked up by a boat from a Dutch schooner at anchor 
in the bay, and transferred afterward to our flotilla. 
With me also escaped two brave commanders, Gen- 
eral Muguerza and Colonel Minchin, both badly 
wounded ; happily they recovered while at Mara- 
caibo, for which place the vessels sailed that same 
evening, leaving numbers of our unfortunate compan- 
ions to shift for themselves amidst the cruel woods of 
Coro. 

Misfortunes never come singly. On our way to 
Maracaibo, I was confidentially informed by an officer 
of the staff that General Pinango's wish to withdraw 
from Coro was in consequence of a bulletin from Ca- 
racas, received by him at La Yela, announcing the 
startling fact that General Paez had been defeated in 
the plains of Apure. Although I at first did not at- 
tach much importance to a bulletin coming from the 
enemy, the sad intelligence was fully confirmed 
shortly after our arrival at Maracaibo, by an emis- 
sary from the General himself, informing the author- 
ities of his retreat into New Granada. I then learned, 
for the first time, that, although quite unprepared for 
the unequal contest, he took the field with a few fol- 



S86 



WILD SCENES IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



lowers at Calabozo, where he received the first infor- 
mation respecting the bloody tragedy at Caracas. 
His force was receiving daily additions with volun- 
teers from various parts of the Llanos, when a traitor 
— Cornelio Munoz — whom he had raised from the 
lowest station in life to the highest rank in the army, 
rebelled against him in the province of Apure, thus 
menacing his rear. To guard against this evil in time, 
the General set off immediately in that direction with 
the object of having an interview with Munoz, or of 
attacking him before he should increase his force. 

Unwilling to commence hostilities in the province 
of his especial solicitude, General Paez despatched at 
once a commissioner duly accredited to treat with 
Munoz while he mustered his forces, consisting wholly 
of cavalry, on the plain of Cambero. Finding, how- 
ever, that he could not come to terms with his un- 
grateful comjpadre — for, in addition to other favors 
from his benefactor, Munoz had prevailed upon the 
General to stand as godfather to one of his children — 
he determined to attack him with his body-guard of 
tried Llaneros and a few squadrons from Calabozo. 
A gallant charge from the former soon broke the en- 
emy's front, who fled in confusion across the plain ; 
but before the cloud of dust raised by the horses had 
cleared, the regiments from Calabozo, seized with a 
sudden panic, fled in exactly the opposite direction 
to that taken by the retreating enemy. All the 
efforts of General Paez to arrest the flight were una- 
vailing, they never stopping until close to the frontiers 
of JSTew Granada. 

On the other hand, the guard, after a successful 



MONAGAS. 



387 



pursuit of several miles, when they lanced great num- 
bers of their opponents, finding on their return no 
traces of the missing regiments and only dead bodies 
upon the field, were in their turn overwhelmed with 
panic, and likewise retreated into l^ew Granada by 
another route. 

Thus, from a victorious General, our Leader be- 
came, through the treachery or cowardice of one of 
his lieutenants, a wanderer in a strange land. The 
negotiations with Munoz had been conducted by the 
commander of the forces from Calabozo, who stood in 
great fear of Munoz ; and it was rumored at the time 
that the latter had promised him full pardon in case 
of a defeat, providing he should desert his chief and 
friend in his hour of danger. 



CHAPTER XXVIII. 



MARACAIBO. 

Monagas, now free from enemies in other parts of 
the republic, directed his whole energy and attention 
to the subjugation of Maracaibo, which, from her 
geographical situation and abundance of resources, 
offered a more formidable obstacle to his sway. 

A glance at the map of Venezuela, will show a 
deep indentation of the coast toward the west, formed 
by the wild and still unsubdued peninsula of La 
Goajira, — exclusively inhabited by a warlike tribe of 
Indians — on the north, and the arid coast of Coro 
on the southeast. Into this wide gulf, usually termed 
Saco de Maracaibo, the largest lake in South America 
pours the tribute of a hundred navigable rivers and 
several minor streams. The entrance to the lake is 
extremely dangerous, on account of the many shoals 
and breakers that bar its mouth, while but a small 
portion of its eastern shores is accessible to an ene- 
my seeking to invade the province by land, the rest 
being entirely surrounded by an impenetrable forest 
and pestiferous marshes, the haunts of the tapir, and 



MARACAIBO. 



389 



numerous herds of wild bogs. The only entrance to 
it from the sea, is through a narrow channel between 
dangerous shoals, in the west end of its mouth, where 
a fort mounting twelve guns can easily dispute the 
passage of a flotilla, such as are used in the republic. 
With the aid of good pilots, ships not exceeding 
eleven feet draught can cross the bar and intervening 
shoals between this point and Maracaibo, thirty-five 
miles inland. 

Further on, the lake expands into a nearly circular 
basin, four hundred miles in circumference, navigable 
in all its extent by the largest craft afloat. 

Although the news of the reverse of Taratara 
threw the people of this province into the greatest 
excitement for a time, the comparative security they 
felt under the protection of their little fleet of schoon- 
ers—soon increased by the addition of a bark and sev- 
eral armed piraguas — finally quite restored the public 
tranquillity, and I had leisure to occupy myself with 
other objects than gunpowder. 

It is not my intention to tire the reader, more than 
is absolutely necessary to the fulfilment of my task, 
with the recital of the miseries and tragedies inci- 
dental to civil war ; my mission is simply to depict 
the natural features of my native country, avoiding 
the unnatural as much as possible. Therefore, let us 
now glance at the city and its environs, where spark- 
ling eyes and loving hearts await our arrival to wel- 
come us to their comfortable mansions ; for hotels are 
rather a scarce commodity in Maracaibo, the gen- 
erous hospitality of the inhabitants having thus far 
prevented their establishment. 



390 



WILD SCENES IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



The first object that attracts our attention on enter- 
ing the bay, is a spacious custom-house fronting the 
water ; near this stands also the market, profusely 
supplied with game, fish, and the finest beef in the 
country. There can be found also abundance of 
vegetables, raised on harbacoas, several feet from the 
ground, for the purpose of protecting the tender 
shoots from the depredations of red ants. Were this 
precaution neglected, the entire crop would disap- 
pear in a single night, the time usually chosen by 
these pernicious insects for their marauding excur- 
sions. Among the vegetables you cannot fail to 
notice the size and abundance of the plantains, a fa- 
vorite food with the people of all classes. This vege- 
table being suspended sufficiently high from the 
ground by the parent plant, does not require man's 
protection against the ants, whose habits are de- 
cidedly terrestrial. Immense plantations of this de- 
licious fruit, or vegetable, exist on the moist borders 
of the lake, along with its inseparable companion, the 
cacao-tree. As a substitute for soda water or iced 
lemonade in this burning climate, the intelligent 
garcon before the fruit-stands will present you for the 
asking the huge green husk of the cocoa-nut, filled 
with its refreshing sap, erroneously called milk. The 
tree producing it, is another of the peculiar features 
environing the lake, whose shores for more than forty 
miles are covered with a continuous plantation of this 
useful palm ; from it the inhabitants obtain, besides 
wine, oil, milk, (from the kernel,) cabbage, thatch, 
timber, &c, &c. 

Embowered in one of these cocales — cocoa-nut 



MARACAIBO. 



391 



plantations — the rural retreat of Los Haticos looms 
across the bay. This, as the name implies, is a collec- 
tion of country houses, where the citizens spend great 
portions of their time in revelry and enjoyment. 
Some of the houses are roofed with red tiles, giving 
them a very pretty appearance amidst the dark foliage 
of the palms ; but the greater part are thatched with 
enea, or flag-reed, unfortunately also used to a great 
extent in the city. During the merry nights of 
Christmas and other holidays, abundantly provided 
by our calendar, Los Haticos present a scene of bustle 
and gayety remarkable for good taste, sociability, and 
unostentatious hospitality. There, to the strains of 
the guitar, the harp and pianoforte, you may listen 
to as melodious voices as any that ever issued from 
enchanted groves. They proceed from the accom- 
plished 3Iaracaiheras, by far the most interesting fea- 
ture of this province. If, fascinated by their charm- 
ing voices, you are tempted the next morning to stroll 
through that little paradise of Spanish grace and 
beauty, you will behold these syrens of the lake, 
quietly seated under the shade of those stately palms, 
at work upon their famous laces, rivalling in fineness 
the spider's web. Their cottages are as open to 
strangers as the noble hearts of the fair occupants. 
Step in without ceremony, tired traveller, and witness 
henceforth to the excellency of the cup of chocolate 
speedily prepared for you by their hospitable hands, 
which, at the same time, offer also for your comfort a 
richly embroidered napkin of their own manufacture. 

But as we shall have other opportunities to see 
more of them, we will take leave for the present of 



392 



WILD SCENES IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



these charming ladies of Maracaibo, and continue, our 
ramble through the city. 

As we sail to and from Los Haticos, you cannot 
fail to notice the immense number of piraguas, (flat- 
bottomed sailing boats having two masts and square 
sails,) which crowd the bay and the line of the horizon 
toward the south. These are the vehicles of trans- 
portation throughout this thrifty " Little Venice," or 
Venezuela proper, a name conferred upon it by the 
Italian navigator, Americus Vespuccius, who first 
braved the dangerous bar of Maracaibo. The borders 
of the lake being swampy and unhealthy, the abo- 
rigines of that epoch, as well as those of the present 
day, to escape the malignant fevers and clouds of 
hungry mosquitoes filling the air, built their habita- 
tions in the water on posts of lignum- vitae, which in 
this province bears the appropriate name of iron- 
wood. 

Crowds of roguish urchins — attracted by the loads 
of golden plantains on board some of the piraguas — 
are constantly diving around these, after the fruit 
thrown to them by the patrons, as otherwise these 
little depredators would speedily relieve them of the 
main part of their cargo. In this manner the young 
Maracaiberos acquire their astonishing proficiency in 
swimming, which, later in life, enables them to brave 
the dangers of their inland sea. 

The piraguas are very useful for ascending the rivers 
of the interior, connecting the commercial metropolis 
of the lake with the agricultural provinces of Merida, 
Trujillo, and portions of New Granada. The two 
former send to Maracaibo for exportation, indigo, 



MARACAIBO. 



393 



coffee, cacao, pita fibre, sugar, honey, and delicious 
preserves. The fertile valleys of Cucuta in New Gra- 
nada depend principally npon Maracaibo for goods 
of foreign manufacture, giving in return tobacco, 
coffee, cacao, and straw hats. Maracaibo exports, 
besides large quantities of dye-woods, copaiba, divi- 
divi, senna-leaves, and hides. 

Among the shipping you will also observe many 
fine schooners and square-rigged vessels built from 
her own inexhaustible supply of everlasting- timber, 
the city furnishing besides the best sailors, as well 
as the " smartest " business men in the republic. 

There is a naval academy in addition to a college 
and several public schools, where the youth receive 
excellent instructions in the primary branches of edu- 
cation. In this connection Depons observes : " The 
youth of Maracaibo are particularly favored by na- 
ture, the least elemental instruction being sufficient 
to develop their mental faculties, a proficiency not 
easily obtained in Europe without long study and 
excellent teachers." 

The greatest anxiety prevailed among the people 
of Maracaibo for the arrival of General Paez, hourly 
expected from New Granada. A fine schooner was 
fitted up for his accommodation without loss of time, 
and despatched to the mouth of the river Catatumbo — 
the main channel of communication between Cucuta 
and the lake — to receive and conduct him to the city. 
A number of gentlemen were commissioned for this 
purpose, and I availed myself of the opportunity to 
partially explore that interesting region. 
16* ' ' 



394 



WILD SCENES IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



The distance from Maracaibo to the Catatnmbo is 
about ninety miles, and the schooner made the run 
during the night, so that by early morning, we drop- 
ped anchor in the still waters of Congo bay. The 
spy-glass was constantly in use, examining every 
bongo that hove in sight, hoping as we did every mo- 
ment to receive some tidings of our Leader's where- 
abouts. We knew that he was at Cucuta, making 
preparations for his voyage down the river ; accord- 
ingly we waited from day to day, in constant expec- 
tation of his arrival. To our great disappointment 
we learned, twelve days afterward, that the enemy's 
guerillas were posted along the woody banks of the 
river, cutting off his communication with the lake, 
thus annihilating our cherished hopes and those of 
the whole province, which longed to receive him 
with open arms. 

Meanwhile, I was not idle in procuring infor- 
mation respecting the natural curiosities of that 
region. Much of the day was occupied in rowing 
round the bay, and among the numerous channels 
between the alluvial islands, constantly forming at 
the mouths of tributary rivers. Immense quantities 
of drift-wood and water-lilies are brought down by 
these, and deposited in the shallow borders of the 
lake. The wild plantain — heliconia — and other hy- 
dropathic plants also take root there, and before many 
years have rolled by, not only the course of the rivers, 
but also the aspect of the scenery become changed. 
The stately mora — Maclura tinctoria — which, under 
the name of fustic, is largely shipped from Maracaibo 
to various parts of the world — invites to its gigantic 



MARACAIBO. 



395 



branches and luscious berries, troops of chattering 
monkeys and flocks of noisy macaws, whose brilliant 
plumage vies in richness with the various tints yielded 
by that celebrated tree. 




Not even a foot of dry land could we find whereon 
to exercise our cramped limbs. Our excursions, there- 
fore, were made mostly in the boats of the schooner, 
or by wading through the shallower parts of the bay, 
which were covered with fine sand. The water was 
so transparent, that we easily avoided the numerous 
sting-rays and saw-fish beneath its surface. I speared 
several young ones of the latter, almost as numerous 
as the sands of those extensive shoals, which led me to 
conclude that this was a breeding place for that curious 



396 



WILD SCENES IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



species of shark. " It attains a length of from twelve 
to fifteen feet, including the serrated rostrum from 
which its name is derived. 




"This powerful weapon seems designed to com- 
pensate for the inadequacy of the ordinary maxillary 
teeth, which are usually small, obtuse, and insufficient 
to capture and kill the animals which form the food 
of this predatory shark. To remedy this, the fore 
part of the head and its cartilages are prolonged into 
a flattened plate, the length of which is nearly equal 
to one-third of the whole body ; the edges being 
armed with formidable teeth that are never shed or 
renewed, but increase in size with the growth of the 
creature." * 

Alligators of enormous size were equally abundant 
there, especially in the inlets of lagoons connected 
with the lake, waiting for prey. To these lagoons 
numbers of piraguas resort regularly to load with fish, 
which, salted, forms one of the principal articles of 
trade with Maracaibo. Near the anchorage of our 
schooner was a fisherman's cottage, raised on posts 
three feet above water like the Indian habitations. Its 



* Sir J. Emerson Tennent. 



MARACAIBO. 



397 



owner, whose body was so spotted with coagulated 
blood from the bite of mosquitoes that it had lost its 
original hue, supplied us daily with fresh fish, re- 
ceiving in exchange salt, tobacco, and aguardiente. 
I could not repress a sentiment of pity for the solitary 
inhabitant of those lonely swamps, and even ventured 
to advise a change of location, when, to my great sur- 
prise his disfigured countenance assuming a grin of 
evident compassion, he whispered close in my ear : 
" Should you ever wish to escape into New Granada, I 
can take you there in my canoe through channels only 
known to myself." I then little thought I should ever 
need to accept this invitation ; so, offering him a segar, 
I contented myself instead, with a trip in his skiff to 
one of the neighboring islands after some wild pavas 
w r e heard tolling in the distance. I shot one of these, 
of a rich chocolate color, and quite as large as a 
turkey-hen, which it greatly resembles ; hence its 
name. The swampy and tangled nature of the jungle 
prevented however further progress, and I returned 
to my cicerone's hut after a few ineffectual shots at 
the alligators. He related to me several wonderful 
stories about the danta or tapir, the river-horse of 
the New World, which from want of space I am com- 
pelled to omit. Subsequently, on my return to Mara- 
caibo, I saw one of these animals quite tame at the 
house of Sefior Casanova, one of the " merchant 
princes" of our " Little Venice," who had allotted a 
place, in the corridor of his own house, to that noble 
beast. 

One night we were surprised by the most fearful 
storm within my experience. It seemed as though 



398 



WILD SCENES IN SOUTH AMERICA. 




the " windows of Heaven were opened," amidst the 
glare of lightning, the howling winds, and rolling 
thunder. The latter was especially terrific. The rain 
fell with such force as to tear away the awning which 
protected our nightly slumbers, our numbers being 
too great for the little cabin of the schooner. The 
danger from the lightning was greatly enhanced by 
the immediate proximity of a war vessel filled with 
gunpowder. The surface of the lake appeared at 
times like a vast sheet of fire, while the roaring of the 
storm contributed to render the scene awfully sub- 
lime. These thunder storms are very frequent at the 
extremity of the lake, where it rains almost inces- 
santly during a large portion of the year. The great 
mass of vapors dispersed throughout the atmosphere, 
carried thither by the sea breezes, is doubtless the 
cause of this phenomenon. Alluding to the subject, 
Codazzi has, in his Geography of Venezuela, some 
noteworthy remarks : u In the regions where the Cat- 



MARACAIBO. 



399 



atumbo disembogues, storms accumulate more fre- 
quently, while the thunder and lightning often fright- 
en the navigator there. It seems as if the electric 
fluid was also more concentrated in those localities, 
where a luminous phenomenon may be perceived 
every night, which, like a flash of lightning, illumines 
the atmosphere from time to time. Observed from 
the sea, the flash appears as though directly over the 
island of Toas, nearly in the meridian of the bar of 
Maracaibo ; it passes over the mouth of the Cata- 
tumbo, and serves as a guide to mariners. Can it be 
caused by the exhalations of hydrogen gas* from the 
swamps, which occupy a vast area near the mouth of 
the Catatumbo ? " 

After impatiently awaiting there for more than a 
fortnight the advent of our Leader, desirous of joining 
him without further delay, I engaged a man to take 
me in his canoe up the river, despite the warnings of 
my comrades respecting the guerillas infesting its 
banks. I was not much encumbered by luggage, 
having lost every thing— -foin Vhonneur — at Taratara ; 
therefore I had only to step from on board the 
schooner into the little craft alongside, bidding adieu 
to my friends the Commissioners, whom I promised to 
rejoin in a short time if not captured by the gueril- 
las. A young man bound to Cucuta, bearing de- 
spatches from the Governor of Maracaibo to General 
Paez, joined me as I was leaving the schooner, and 
the sun shining powerfully at the time, we both 
crawled into the carroza, a sort of thatch awning Ave 

* Carburctted hydrogen gas. — Tin: Author. 



400 



WILD SCENES IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



feet long by half that number wide, in the stern of 
the canoe. This was to be our common apartment 
for the next twelve or fourteen days of river naviga- 
tion. 

We had not proceeded far, when the canoe 
grounded among a labyrinth of snags, near the mouth 
of the river, which the patron was endeavoring to 
reach by a short cut. To retrace our way would have 
been as unprofitable as the endeavor to force the 
canoe through the stockade that barred its progress ; 
therefore we were politely requested by our Charon 
to lighten his barge by stepping overboard, which, 
considering the number of sting-rays and other angry 
dwellers of the waters lurking there, I regarded as a 
bad commencement for our journey. Donde manda 
capitan, no manda marinero* Having therefore no 
alternative between being stuck in the mud, or by 
the bones of the fish, we preferred to risk the latter, 
as the lesser evil of the two ; so stumbling here and 
pulling there, we finally extricated the canoe with 
only the loss of half a day, which, aware of the re- 
ception awaiting us beyond the lake from the mos- 
quitoes, we did not much regret. 

Toward evening we commenced ascending the 
river, sometimes assisted by the canalete, where the 
current was not very strong, but usually by means 
of a pole hooked into the branches of trees skirting the 
banks. The vegetation was superb beyond descrip- 
tion, the river being entirely hemmed in between 
walls of massive foliage. Occasionally we met float- 

* Where the captain commands, sailors hare no authority. 



MARACAIBO. 



401 



ing down stream, huge balsas, or rafts of timber, cut 
upon its banks and towed afterward to Maracaibo, 
by a long and circuitous route along tbe irregular 
shores of the lake. 

So far, we had not been troubled by mosquitoes ; 
but hardly did the shadows of night close upon the 
scene, than we were apprised of their vicinity, by a 
low humming sound proceeding from the forest, 
which, gradually approaching, occasioned us direful 
forebodings. The patron advised us to light our 
segars an hour or two before retiring to our narrow 
apartment, if we wished to escape their importunities. 
This, however, proved a poor expedient, as the entire 
night was spent in directing at our unseen enemies 
blows, from which, as a general thing, we ourselves 
were the only sufferers. In the sharper sting and 
loud triumphant song of many among them, I recog- 
nized my old acquaintances, the pullones. Add to 
these aggravations, a continuous drizzling rain upon 
our uncovered feet, which would project outside the 
carroza, and some idea may be formed of the tor- 
ments we endured during that and the following 
night. I was revolving in my mind serious thoughts 
of abandoning my trip to New Granada, and return- 
ing to the lake by the first balsa floating down the 
stream, when, toward the morning of the third day, 
I heard the heavy stroke of oars against the sides of 
some bongo rapidly approaching from up the river. 
" Listen ! " I exclaimed to my companion ; " get 
your despatches ready to be pitched into the river, for 
I fear the monagueros are upon us." When within 
hailing distance, we gave the qui vive. A friendly 



402 



WILD SCENES IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



voice, which I immediately recognized as that of 
Roseliano, answered " Paez ! " and a moment after- 
ward, two huge bongoes full of men were alongside 
of our frail canoe. To pick up my bundle of segars, 
— actually the only remaining property I possessed in 
the world, — and jump on board one of them was the 
w T ork of an instant. The passengers proved to be 
the faithful Llanero Guard, which had followed our 
Leader into New Granada ; but my disappointment 
was great on learning from them that the General 
had abandoned the idea of coming to Maracaibo by 
this route, giving the preference to that of the Mag- 
dalena River, which, although much longer, would 
enable him to stop at Jamaica and other West India 
islands, before again confronting his old antagonist, 
Monagas. 

We availed ourself of the opportunity offered by the 
bongoes to return to the lake, where— -to the no small 
satisfaction of the crowded party on board them, we 
found the schooners still waiting for more definite in- 
formation concerning the anxiously looked-for arrival 
of the General. All were transferred to the schoon- 
ers without delay, and a fine land-breeze blowing at 
the time, we made all sail for Maracaibo, carrying 
thither the vexatious news of our unfulfilled commis- 
sion. The low lands of Congo bay were soon lost 
sight of, and then the broad expanse of fresh water, 
heaving like the ocean, was all we saw. It blew and 
rained heavily through the night ; but the next day 
the clouds lifted, affording us a distant view of the 
Sierra Nevada, rising in snowy peaks thousands of 
feet above the region of the clouds. 



MARACAIBO. 



403 



It would almost seem, from the fact of this vast- 
body of water penetrating so far inland, that Provi- 
dence had expressly designed it to bring into near 
proximity the sea-coast and -the lands at the foot of the 
higher cordilleras of Merida and Trujillo, whose fertile 
slopes in the form of table-lands stretch to the borders 
of this splendid lake. So great are their extent and 
astonishing fertility, so numerous the navigable 
streams, by which they are watered, and various the 
climates in those regions, that time alone is wanting 
to render them the seat of a vast commerce. Between 
the lake and the sierras surrounding it, the people 
and products of Europe and America can find each 
their congenial temperature, from the burning heats 
of the tropics to the chilling frosts of winter, or the 
eternal snows of polar regions. 

A dead calm, which fortunately, as we were al- 
ready short of provisions, only lasted until sundown, 
succeeded the boisterous night ; otherwise we would 
have fared rather poorly during the passage to Mara- 
caibo, which place we reached toward morning. 



6 -t 



CHAPTER XXIX. 

THE GOAJIROS. 

The arrival of our vessels in the harbor naturally- 
attracted thither a great crowd of anxious friends in 
hopes to find there the one who, they trusted, would 
deliver them in the impending struggle that menaced 
from across the lake ; for the enemy, who had already 
arrived at Altagracia, opposite Maracaibo, were 
known to be making preparations for crossing to La 
Goajira, and for marching thence by land to invade the 
province. The undertaking was, however, fraught 
with peril to the attacking forces, from the notorious 
hostility of the Indians and other formidable obstacles 
to be encountered along the route. Unfortunately, 
the greatest anarchy reigned at the time among our 
own people, who, finding no cooperation from their 
terrified leaders, already despaired of success in re- 
pelling the invaders. The disappointment therefore 
they experienced at not finding in our vessels the 
cherished object of their hopes, may be easily imag- 
ined. Men, wringing their hands, frantically paced 
the wharf in utter dejection of spirit, while the women 



* THE GOAJIROS. 



405 



of all ranks, who have ever manifested a strong sym- 
pathy for the " Esclarecido,"— General Paez — sat down 
and wept bitter tears of disappoinment beneath the 
grateful palms that surround their homes. 

While wandering through the streets of the city, 
not knowing where to find an abiding place, I was 
politely accosted by several gentlemen, who, on hear- 
ing of my unfortunate mishap at Taratara, where I 
lost the little I had saved from the flame of revolution, 
hastened to offer me their homes and purses. I ac- 
cepted the hospitality of Don Antonio Montiel, whose 
kindness on this occasion, as well as that of his estima- 
ble family, is still fresh in the memory of the exile. 
While there, I had an opportunity of witnessing the 
dreadful effects of the animal poison, used by the sav- 
ages of La Goajira, and which I can only compare to 
the madness induced by hydrophobia. 

My host, Don Antonio, owned a cattle-farm on the 
frontiers, not far from the fort of San Carlos, and 
while his men, four in number, were engaged in driv- 
ing some tame animals to the corrals, a hidden host 
of red-skins issuing suddenly from the bushes, sent a 
shower of poisoned arrows amidst the drivers, killing 
one man instantly and wounding two more. Of these 
one was taken to the fort ; the other, a slave of Sefior 
Montiel, being sent to him at Maracaibo. Although 
the wound was a flesh one, his master at once gave 
the necessary orders for his approaching interment, 
as nothing could save him. The poor fellow appeared 
perfectly resigned, and answered all my questions 
with apparent unconcern. On the second day the 
poison manifested itself by occasional twitchings of 



406 



WILD SCENES IN SOUTH -AMERICA. 



the nerves, which increased gradually to violent jerks 
of the whole frame, until death relieved the agonized 
sufferer. 

There is no known antidote to this poison, except 
that of immediate cauterization, where the wound is 
not too deep. Aware of this, the vengeful Indian 
makes his arrow's tip of the bone of the sting-ray, 
notching it deeply in several places, so that it is sure 
to break off in the flesh, while the serrated edges pre- 
vent its extraction. 

Senor Montiel, who for many years had traded 
with this savage tribe of Indians, and was well ac- 
quainted with their history and habits, gave me very 
interesting details concerning them and the con- 
cocting of this direful poison. The contents of the 
witches' caldron in " Macbeth " was a harmless drug 
in comparison with it. A number of dead reptiles, 
snakes, toads and lizards, with a sprinkling of centi- 
pedes, scorpions and tarantulas, are placed in a gourd 
and allowed to rot until they all, " like a hell broth, 
boil and bubble " into a yellowish liquid, which col- 
lects at the bottom of the gourd : in this, the points 
of the arrows are steeped, and then laid aside to dry. 

The Goajiros are equally expert in the use of fire- 
arms, and being in addition most accomplished riders, 
they oppose a formidable barrier against the perma- 
nent occupation of their territory. They were per- 
haps the first inventors of conical balls, which they 
have been in the habit of manufacturing for them- 
selves since they have become masters of the gun ; 
and so expeditious are they in their management of 
it, that they can load and fire in less time than any 



THE GOAJIROS. 



407 



veteran soldiers opposed to them. This they effect by 
drilling wider the vent of the old flint muskets, the 
only ones then used in Venezuela, thus facilitating 
the run of the powder into the pan when the cartridge 
is introduced into the barrel, and the ball being 
heavier than that of their opponents, a blow upon 
the ground with the but-end of the musket while 
they fly swiftly around the enemy, is sufficient to load 
and prime it. They understand also that, by raising 
the muzzle of the gun, a longer range is attained — a 
practice which they may have derived from constant 
use of the bow and arrow. But from whom they 
acquired their scientific use of other weapons, was 
more than my friend Don Antonio could tell me. 

The territory, or peninsula, occupied by the Goa- 
jiros, has long been the subject of disputes and 
reclamations between Venezuela and New Granada, 
lying, as it does, on the boundaries of both republics ; 
and although the former only claims one half of it, 
while the other demands the lion's share, the fact is, 
that neither of them has reckoned upon the host there ; 
nor have they exercised any jurisdiction beyond the 
forts established on the frontiers to check the forays 
of their savage neighbors. Indeed, it is a curious cir- 
cumstance that, while all the other tribes of Indians 
have been subdued or exterminated in South America, 
neither the Araucanians or Patagonians inhabiting 
the extreme south, nor the Goajiros of the far north, 
have ever been conquered by the white race. Sev- 
eral steps were made at different times by Venezuela 
to subjugate the Goajiros ; but with the exception of 
a temporary occupation of the ground held by the 



408 



WILD SCENES IN SOUTH AMERICA 



soldiers of tlie republic, nothing was ever gained un- 
less it be an increase of their hatred to the ovijunas, 
as they call us. 

The habits of these Indians are very curious. 
They live in communities of a certain number of fami- 
lies like the nomads of the desert, and like them roam 
over arid plains with their herds, pitching their camp 
wherever they find abundant food and water for the 
cattle, and moving off to another place only when the 
pastures are consumed. They possess the finest breed 
of cattle and horses and other domestic animals. The 
head of the nation was a squaw, Kosa by name, her- 
self a splendid equestrian as well as archer. Each 
tribe, however, is under the immediate control of a 
cacique, who exercises a sort of patriarchal sway over 
all concerns of the country. The head of a family re- 
ceives from him a portion of stock in trust, according 
to the number of individuals composing it. These are 
only entitled to the yield of the herds, the cacique re- 
serving to himself the right of disposing at any time of 
those animals always commanding a good price in the 
market ; they readily sell, or rather exchange them, 
on the frontiers under the surveillance of government 
officers, appointed expressly at the town of Sinamaica. 
This, however, does not prevent the white traders im- 
posing upon the ignorance of their savage customers, 
who, being unacquainted with the use of money, dis- 
pose of their cattle for aguardiente, worthless trinkets, 
bridles, knives, cotton, woods and colored blankets, 
far below the value of what they give in exchange. 

From the yarn of their blankets, pulled apart for 
the purpose, these Indians weave elegant scarfs and 



THE GOAJIROS. 



400 



other articles of dress, displaying tlieii- innate taste 
and ingenuity. The Goajiros do not go nude as is the 
practice among other South- American tribes, but 
rather pride themselves, especially the women, upon 
a profuse display of printed calico, the brightest that 
England's factories can produce. Their style of dress 
is exceedingly picturesque and unique. The men 
wear a sort of flowing blouse without sleeves, not un- 
like the dress of an ancient Roman warrior, tied 
around the waist by a long scarf, the ends of which 
fall gracefully on one side. When the weather is 
warm, the upper part of the dress is allowed to drop 
down over the sash, thus exposing their athletic 
shoulders to view. The chiefs wear, besides, a head- 
dress made from the bright feathers of the macaw- 
parrot, which adds greatly to their picturesqueness, es- 
pecially when mounted on one of the spirited Goajiro 
horses. The latter are remarkable for fine training, 
elegant proportions and good mettle, and invariably 
command higher prices than those of any other breed 
in Yenezuela. The training they receive must differ 
considerably from that usually practised in the coun- 
try, as these noble creatures cannot brook the touch of 
spur or whip. Another distinguishing mark is the 
peculiar brand imprinted on their haunches in the 
form of geometrical figures, instead of the letters or 
hieroglyphics used in other portions of Yenezuela. 

Great numbers are annually exported from the 
peninsula, notwithstanding the reluctance of the In- 
dians to part with their steeds ; still the finest among 
them are seldom, if ever, permitted to go out of the 
territory, unless it be through some stratagem on the 
18 



410 



WILD SCENES IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



part of the white traders who, to gain their ends, often 
resort to the disgraceful plan of thoroughly intoxicat- 
ing the owner. It is probably owing to this manifest 
disinclination to part with their property, that the 
practice arose among the Indians of cutting off the 
ears of the best horses. When pressed very hard to 
sell one of these, the rider, without uttering a word, 
quietly dismounts and drawing the long knife which he 
carries in his belt, puts an end to the transaction by de- 
priving the poor creature of those valuable appendages. 
" There ! orijuna no like horse without ears ! " the 
redskin exultingly exclaims ; then, jumping upon the 
back of his mutilated steed, doubtless regretting that 
he had not done the same to the occasion of the trans- 
action, resumes his dealings with the astonished trader, 
who, it is scarcely necessary to add, does not press the 
bargain further. 

The Goajiros also trade largely with the English 
and Dutch of the "West Indies, from whom they ob- 
tain more substantial commodities in the shape of flint 
muskets, powder and lead — articles of prime necessity 
among them, and which they cannot procure so easily 
from their neighbors. When a vessel drops anchor 
near the coast, the cacique of that district, accom- 
panied by some members of his family, immediately 
proceeds in his canoe to welcome the strangers ; but 
before entering into any negotiations, an exchange of 
hostages takes place. This is a custom of long stand- 
ing among these savages, a custom which, to their 
credit be it acknowledged, has ever been held sacred 
by them in all dealings with the whites. But, a short 
time before the revolution, the reverse had been the 



THE GOAJIROS. 



411 



case, on the part of those claiming to be their superiors 
in civilization and morality. 

A schooner from Curacao, having anchored off 
the Goajira coast, the usual method of communication 
with strangers was promptly resorted to by the cacique, 
who sent on board as hostages some of his daughters. 
But, instead of returning an equivalent from the ves- 
sel, the crew, with unparalleled brutality, fell upon 
the helpless creatures, whose cries alarmed their 
friends on shore, already uneasy at the detention of 
the canoe. A little fleet of canoes was manned with 
the greatest expedition, and a dead calm occurring at 
that moment, the schooner was quickly surrounded 
and boarded by the avenging aborigines, who mas- 
sacred the crew and burned the vessel, but spared the 
lives of some children found on board. 

When the facts concerning the affair were known 
at Curacao, the authorities of the island, instead of 
viewing the fate of their countrymen as a just retri- 
bution for their misdeed, proceeded to demand instant 
reparation from the Venezuelian government, although 
it should not have been held responsible for the doings 
of a wild tribe of Indians. Fearing, however, to com- 
promise the national dignity, a not unfrequent occur- 
rence between weak republics and European nations, 
a force was despatched to the peninsula from Mara- 
caibo, and without giving previous notice to the 
natives, as is their practice when about to commence 
their hostilities, attacked them and, taking prisoners 
several of their most prominent warriors, executed 
them without mercy. Among these were the parties 
implicated in the avenging massacre, whose conduct 



412 



WILD SCENES IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



on that occasion should have taught the government 
how to maintain the dignity of a people. The Goa- 
jiros, taken by surprise, offered but feeble resistance 
to an overwhelming force, and the conquerors hastened 
back to Maracaibo for want of water in the sandy 
wastes of La Goajira. 

The hero of the expedition was Colonel Jose Esco- 
lastico Andrade, the same who a little later so inglo- 
riously abandoned the city and all its charming 
women to their fate, at the approach of the Mona- 
gueros, and who, it must be confessed, on this occasion 
showed himself less scholastic in military tactics, than 
he obtained credit for in his campaign against the In- 
dians. It is related that, while in the pursuit of this 
wild set, a cacique was brought hand-cuffed before 
Don Escolastico. At sight of the hated orijuna, the 
Indian warrior could not conceal his indignation, and 
addressing the commander through an interpreter, ex- 
claimed, while he struggled to free himself : " Thou 
art like the cunning fox, who only attacks his prey in 
the darkness of night." 

Quarrels among the Goajiros are settled by arbi- 
tration of the elders, providing no blood has been 
shed. When this occurs, the complainant expects, 
besides, a compensation in cattle, varying in number 
according to the extent of the injury inflicted. A re- 
fusal to pay is immediately followed by a challenge, 
from the friends of the injured man, invariably result- 
ing in the death of several on both sides. As a 
natural consequence, these feuds entail new reclama- 
tions and renewed hostilities, which increase the 
blood-tribute beyond the ability of either side to 



THE GOAJIROS. 



4:13 



satisfy. Thus it often happens that the strife ends 
only with the extermination of the contending par- 
ties. From this cause it is asserted that the popula- 
tion, which formerly numbered 60,000, has dwindled 
down to 15,000. But this is of course mere conjec- 
ture, as no one has ever ventured, beyond the frontier 
forts, for the purpose of taking the census. 

The Goajiros devote themselves also to the culti- 
vation of the soil, a chain of mountains running 
through their territory offering them excellent lands 
for the purpose. Don Antonio Montiel found them 
always ready to work for him in his extensive estab- 
lishments on the Goajira coast for cutting braziletto- 
wood, and has even employed them very successfully 
in his cacao plantation at Zulia. in the southern part 
of the Lake of Maracaibo. 

Attached to the Goajiro nation is an inferior tribe 
of Indians, the Cocinas, whom they have subjugated - 
and hold as slaves, not even permitting them to dress 
like themselves or wear arms of any sort. The Co- 
cinas are supposed to have originally come from the 
unexplored Sierra, forming the boundary between the 
province of Maracaibo and the northern part of New 
Granada. 

Although considered in the light of savages, the 
Goajiros have given proof, on several occasions, that 
they are not altogether insensible to the calls of 
humanity and generosity. During my sojourn in 
Maracaibo, an English bark bound to Carthagena was 
wrecked on their dangerous coast during the night ; 
the crew would have all perished amidst the foaming 
breakers, but for the exertions of the Indians who, 



414 



WILD SCENES IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



being excellent swimmers and well acquainted with 
the place, not only saved every soul on board, but 
likewise a great portion of the cargo. The same 
humane conduct was displayed by them toward the 
family of Seflor Gallegos, a prominent citizen of Mara- 
caibo ; they, being also wrecked on the Goajira coast, 
were saved, and afterward escorted by the savages to 
the castle of San Carlos. 

"When all the avenues of communication between 
Maracaibo and the " outside barbarians " were cut off 
by the blockading forces of Monagas, the Goajiros 
proved invaluable couriers for the transmission of our 
despatches through their territory. A prince of their 
nation had in former years paid a visit to General 
Faez, then President of the republic, who received 
him with becoming dignity and respect ; and so de- 
lighted was His Highness of the red-skin with the 
cordial treatment and presents which he received on 
this occasion from the General, that he remained ever 
after his warm friend and admirer. In acknowledg- 
ment of this and other civilities, the Goajiro nation 
now became a sort of volunteer ally and warm sup- 
porter of our cause, even to the extent of attacking 
the forces of Monagas, while passing through their 
territory to invade the province. Owing to the 
reprehensible negligence of our commanders who 
failed to guard against it, this event took place when 
least expected ; and although our Indian allies did 
their utmost to check the advance of the enemy, the 
reverse was the dastardly conduct of those intrusted 
with the custody of the public safety. Instead of 
sending our fleet to capture or destroy the few vessels 



THE GOAJIROS. 



415 



sent by Monagas to the coast of Coro for the trans- 
portation of his troops, they held it back in readiness 
to decamp, which they did the moment it became 
known that a landing on the Goajira coast had been 
effected, while the enemy were still many miles from 
Maracaibo. The indignation of the people was so 
great, that some of the leaders would have undoubted- 
ly fallen a sacrifice to public vengeance, but for the 
presence of the fleet and a squadron of cavalry, com- 
posed mainly of Llaneros. Even so they had great 
difficulty in accomplishing the embarcation of the 
troops, only one half of which ever reached their desti- 
nation, the castle of San Carlos. 

In the mean time, the invading forces were every 
day being terribly decimated by the poisoned ar- 
rows and conical balls of the Indian warriors who, in 
addition, poisoned the few wells along the route, which 
they paved with concealed arrow-heads, set upright be- 
neath the sand ; as none of the soldiers in our armies 
wear shoes, those who escaped the unerring aim of 
the arrows, fell afterward victims to the virus of the 
hidden ones. Many also perished amidst these burn- 
ing sands for want of water, and were afterward 
almost disheartened by an excess of it, as the ragged 
vagabonds found the river Socuy swollen to overflow. 

All the canoes had been removed by order of Ser- 
rano, the Governor of Maracaibo ; but this did not 
deter Castelli, the commander of the invading forces, 
from crossing on rafts, finding no foe there to dispute 
his passage. A few companies of fusiliers would have 
been sufficient to hold them in check, while the Indians 
were constantly hovering on their rear ; and although 



416 



WILD SCENES IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



some troops and armed piraguas had been detailed 
with that object, the cowardly commanders abandoned 
the river at sight of the enemy and returned to Mara- 
eaibo, only to increase the alarm of the no less pusil- 
lanimous leaders there. 

Many days after the latter had retired to the castle, 
the enemy, in bands of one or two hundred, with all 
their powder wet, and ready to throw themselves 
upon the mercy of their antagonists, appeared before 
the city, which they occupied without the least oppo- 
sition. Even then it would have been an easy task 
to make them all prisoners, as it was known that the 
fever, contracted in their passage through the marshy 
borders of the Socuy, had broken out among them, 
while all communication with their base of operations 
was effectually cut off by our fleet. Still the pol- 
troons who held the fate, not only of their own province 
but also of the whole country in their hands, with an 
enthusiastic population to back them and abundant 
resources at command, hesitated for a long time to in- 
vest the city with the forces under them, contenting 
themselves with a little skirmishing and a useless 
waste of ammunition at long range. Tired at length 
of this amusement, and having more vessels than they 
required, they conceived the grand idea of detailing a 
portion of the fleet to frighten Monagas in his capital, 
by sending a few random shots along the coast of La 
Guaira and Puerto Cabello. As I was also growing 
weary of my confinement in the narrow island of San 
Carlos, I gladly joined the expedition, although I en- 
tertained but little hope of its ultimate success. 



CHAPTER XXX. 



A CKUISE IN THE CAEIBBEAN SEA.. 

On the 15th of July, 1848, the vessels, ten in 
number, intended for the expedition, were assembled 
at Bajo-Seco, a sandy islet near the bar, forming a 
small bay opposite the castle of San Carlos. The 
Honorable J. H. Garcia, one of the five members of 
Congress, whose heads were so highly prized by Mo- 
nagas, harangued the troops, two hundred strong, 
intended for this formidable expedition, after which 
they were distributed on board the different trans- 
ports. These consisted of the bark Maracaibo, mount- 
ing seven guns ; schooners Constitucion, six ; Paez and 
Diez de Junio, three ; and the others a pivot-gun each. 

We were obliged to wait several hours at Bajo- 
Seco until the high-tide should permit the bark, which 
drew a little over eleven feet, to pass over the bar. 
Toward evening we were fairly out to sea, and from 
that moment commenced our troubles and sufferings, 
the whole night being employed in making short 
tacks, to avoid the dangerous breakers at the mouth 
18* 



418 



WILD SCENES IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



of the lake, with a heavy sea washing constantly over- 
head. 

When morning dawned we found ourselves nearer 
the point of our departure than from the reckoning of 
the tacks we had supposed, the current having driven 
us during the night in the direction of the bar ; so 
that, after fifteen hours' sailing, we were still in sight 
of the castle. 

The following night was even worse than the pre- 
ceding, the wind increasing in violence as the sun 
went down. The sea rose so high that more than once 
it was feared our bark would be thrown on her beam 
ends. From one of the schooners a soldier fell over- 
board ; and although the night was intensely dark, 
and in spite of the heavy sea, the gallant mate Poca- 
terra immediately went into a boat to search for him, 
declaring that unless the man was devoured by 
sharks, he was certain to maintain himself afloat until 
assistance could reach him. After a search of two 
" hours, the soldier was picked up by the boat, having 
escaped both the fury of the waves and the voracity 
of the sharks. My admiration was equally divided 
between the great powers of endurance displayed by 
the preserved, and the hardihood of his preserver. 

Six or seven days were spent in vain endeavors to 
reach the island of Oruba, a distance which, had the 
wind and current been in our favor, we could have 
accomplished in as many hours. As the provisions 
were already nearly exhausted, it was decided to tack 
for the bay of Los Taques, not an inappropriate name, 
on the coast of Coro, where some fishermen supplied 
us with salt jurel, a fish very abundant at that place. 



A CRUISE IN THE CARIBBEAN SEA. 



419 



Our next effort to reach Oruba resulted in a worse 
failure, as we were carried along by the tide for a 
considerable distance. I proposed to our commander 
that he would depress the muzzle of the pivot-gun 
and permit me to apply a match to the touch-hole, 
the result of which operation would certainly have 
been to impel us most rapidly down the gulf ; the 
captain then informed me that, not long before, the 
commander of a Danish man-of-war had been de- 
tained for over thirty days on this very spot, and 
despairing of ever ascending the channel between 
Oruba and the coast of Paraguana, he carried into 
execution the plan, which I flattered myself had orig- 
inated in my own brain, and which I proposed as an 
effectual termination to our successive disappoint- 
ments. 

It was indeed most discouraging to be constantly 
in sight of the land, where we expected to obtain 
fresh provisions and a pilot, but which we of the 
bark seemed destined never to reach. The schooners, 
from the nature of their rigging, could sail more 
easily along the channel against a head wind ; two 
of them were therefore despatched to Curacao for 
the purpose of apprising our friends of our serious 
contretemps, and to obtain there the much needed pro- 
visions. 

A slight change of weather at length allowed the 
rest of the fleet to reach the western end of Oruba, 
and with the assistance of a pilot from that island, we 
were enabled to proceed on our voyage of adventure 
as far as Curacao. There we were joined by the other 
vessels, and refreshed with sundry baskets of most 



420 WILD SCENES IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



delicious fruits sent on board by our friends, and we 
then set sail again for the coast of Yenezuela. 

Contrary to the instructions received from the 
Commander-in-chief, then at St. Thomas much en- 
feebled by another attack of fever, to proceed direct 
to the island of Margarita, whose inhabitants were 
most friendly to our cause, the insubordinate com- 
manders of the fleet commenced a sort of filibustering 
raid against unoffending trading vessels on the coast. 
Guerra avisada, no mata soldado — fore-warned, fore- 
armed. Warned of our approach in time, and com- 
prehending our purpose, the enemy of course made 
preparations to meet us at all points and despatched 
a steamer with troops to garrison the forts of Mar- 
garita. 

While in pursuit of a schooner from La Guaira, 
we were drawn under the fire of the castle at Puerto 
Cabello, and the Constitucion very narrowly escaped 
being sunk by the heavy artillery of the " Caballero." 
"We were so near land, that the guerillas on shore 
opened upon us a sharp fire of musketry from behind 
the bushes. We returned the compliment with grape 
and shot, when they quickly showed us their heels. 
During the engagement, Captain Las Casas, of Cara- 
cas, now a General, while standing near me, was 
struck by a musket ball on the nose, which feature 
was previously a little one-sided. Feeling no incon- 
venience from the blow, except a temporary inflamma- 
tion, we concluded that the ball had only grazed the 
part, although to the astonishment of his companions 
and his own satisfaction, his nose from that time 
became permanently straight. Ten years after the 



A CRUISE IN THE CARIBBEAN SEA. 



421 



occurrence of this event, on returning to Caracas from 
exile, I was surprised to hear there one morning that 
the General had coughed up a musket-ball during the 
night. The affair naturally excited a good deal of 
talk throughout the city ; but on examination by com- 
petent persons, it was discovered that the missile, 
doubtless the identical one fired at him by the gue- 
rillas, proceeded from his nose, having worked itself 
a passage through the roof of his mouth into his throat. 
It is not to be wondered at that the General's personal 
appearance had undergone so remarkable a change, 
having an ounce of lead lodged in the bridge of his 
nose. Had the bullet penetrated a line deeper, he 
would have been spared the annoyance resulting from 
repeated doses of mercurial compounds, sarsaparilla, 
and other medicaments administered by his physician, 
under the supposition that the hardening and swelling 
of his nose arose from a different cause. 

We continued sailing along the coast, with occa- 
sional stoppages at the plantations, intending to pro- 
cure there fresh provisions or capture some stray 
falucho, loaded with cacao, for which the wealthy oli- 
garcas were afterward made to pay handsomely. As 
we approached the eastern sea, fish were so abundant, 
that our gallant commanders gave up their wild-goose 
chase for the more entertaining sport afforded by the 
hook and line. Each time the bait was cast over- 
board, we had the satisfaction of hauling in a carite, 
or its larger congener the sierra, two species of 
mackerel, occasionally taken on the coast of the 
United States under the name of Spanish mackerel, 
but extremely common in the Caribbean Sea. They 



422 



WILD SCENES IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



abound especially about the numerous keys and islets 
of the main, where a boat can be loaded in a short 
space of time by merely angling for them with a bent 
nail for hook, and a white rag for bait. A third spe- 
cies, the bonito, to its delicate flavor adds, as its name 
implies, a most beautiful appearance, especially when 
living. 




But no description can convey a just idea of the 
rapidly changing and brilliant tints observable in a 
dying dolphin. The Aurora Borealis would pale be- 
fore it, and the painter might seek in vain on his pallet 
for colors to equal the various tints of purple, gold 
and emerald, which pass and repass over its body 
" till the dark hand of death closes the scene." The 
dolphin is one of the swiftest creatures that plough 
the waters of the broad ocean ; many of them are 
caught by the hook and line from vessels sailing rap- 
idly in the Caribbean Sea. They seem particularly 
to delight in the most arduous undertakings, chasing 
the flying-fish, which they unfailingly capture the 
moment it touches the surface of the water, and fol- 
lowing bait at the end of a line trailing from a vessel 



A CRUISE IN THE CARIBBEAN SEA. 423 



while at full speed ; otherwise they " won't take " the 
hook. 




Among others, caught from our schooner, was a 
large sword-fish measuring ten feet in length, and 
weighing seventy-five pounds. It gave us consider- 
able trouble to pull him on deck, requiring the efforts 
of two men, and he was not secured until he had struck 
the vessel several blows with his powerful bayonet- 
shaped rostrum, a portion of which was left embedded 
in the copper sheathing of the schooner. Some attain 
still larger dimensions, measuring from fifteen to 
twenty feet, and weighing as much again, in propor- 
tion to the size of the one caught on that occasion. 

Next to the shark, the sword-fish is perhaps the 
most dangerous inhabitant of those seas, attacking in- 
discriminately whatever comes in his way. The bulky 
sperm-whale, or chacalote, especially offers him a con- 
venient mark on which to exercise his belligerent pro- 
pensities, his peculiar shape enabling the sword-fish 
to penetrate deeply into the body of his antagonist, 
from which he seldom comes out again. Not even 
sailing vessels are exempt from his attacks, although 
usually at the expense of his formidable weapon, which 
is almost invariably left broken off in the timbers. 

The conformation of this fish is admirably adapted 



424 



WILD SCENES IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



for his fighting proclivities. His body, sharp and 
smooth on the surface, but endowed internally with 
muscles as strong as those of the rhinoceros, is armed 
with that terrible weapon of destruction from which 
he derives his name, and which is a prolongation of 
the frontal bone. The dorsal and ventral fins exhibit 
a peculiarity not met with in any other fish : these are 
disposed in such a manner as to admit of their being 
folded inside longitudinal cavities on the back and 
belly of the fish. The former is quite a curiosity in 
itself, opening and closing like an India rubber fan, 
which it much resembles. It is of a dark purple 
color, and extends nearly the whole length of the 
body. 

Among the endless superstitions of the lower 
classes in my country, there exists one, from time im- 
memorial occasioning a curious custom at La Guaira 
of watching the horizon on Good-Friday for " the 
fight " between a whale and a sword-fish. They be- 
lieve that on that holyday two of these monsters, im- 
pelled thereunto by a natural sentiment of piety, meet 
in deadly combat to offer themselves as sacrifice for 
the misdeeds of the finny tribe ; and the breaking of 
the waves into white foam, an occurrence daily before 
their eyes, is, readily converted by their benighted 
imaginations into the furious splash of the comba- 
tants. 

Another popular belief in connection with Good- 
Friday is, that persons then bathing in sea or river, 
are instantly transformed into fish ; and so powerful 
an influence does this superstition exert on the minds 
of many throughout the country, that they would 



A CRUISE IN THE CARIBBEAN SEA. 



425 




426 



WILD SCENES IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



sooner think of wading through the Stygian Lake, 
than of plunging beneath deep water on that day. 

The excellence and abundance of the fish, and the 
excitement of catching them, contributed greatly to 
vary the monotony of our tedious voyage. With the 
exception of the bark, all the other vessels were so 
small that we were compelled to remain on deck 
both day and night. Happily, not a single case of 
sickness occurred during the trip, although all were 
constantly exposed to the equinoctial sun and showers. 
The sea air of Venezuela is remarkably healthful at 
all seasons ; owing to local causes, fevers are inciden- 
tal to but few places along the coast. The trade-wind 
is also singularly uniform, the fearful hurricanes so 
prevalent in the West Indies being unknown there. 

We hailed at length the high mountains of Co- 
lombia's brightest jewel, Margarita — the pearl — so 
named by Columbus from the abundance and splen- 
dor of those gems obtained by him from the aborig- 
ines on his third voyage of discovery to America. 
The island has subsequently become more celebrated 
by the heroic resistance of the inhabitants against the 
combined forces of Spain by land and water, winning 
for her the glorious appellation of New Sparta. 

While steering for that brave little island in hopes 
of finding there at least space sufficient in which to 
stretch our weary limbs cramped by long confinement 
to the small vessels, our gallant fleet had a splendid 
chase after the Yankee steamer that carried there the 
reinforcements sent by Monagas. Doubtless, mistak- 
ing our vessels for the squadron of the latter, momen- 
tarily expected in those waters, the steamer was ap- 



A CRUISE IN THE CARIBBEAN SEA 



427 



pro aching us under a full head of steam, when a 
schooner in advance of the others very foolishly fired 
a shot at her, which by the way did her no harm as 
she was three miles off, thus apprising her of the real 
character of our fleet. Of course, all efforts after this 
to overtake her were futile, and we proceeded on our 
forlorn voyage, having wasted several rounds of am- 
munition. 

We coasted for a day or two along the arid shores 
on the south side of the island ; but finding there 
neither friend nor foe from whom to gain information 
respecting the state of affairs in the interior, we 
finally dropped anchor near the little island of Coche, 
a dependency of the former, where we had the morti- 
fication of learning that all its important forts had 
been strongly garrisoned by the enemy ; but not 
having a sufficient number of troops on board to 
effect a landing on that coast, it was unanimously 
decided by our commanders that there were no lau- 
rels growing there for them, only very prickly cactuses. 

The province of Cumana, on the mainland, was 
known to be most friendly to our cause ; preparations 
were therefore made to land on that coast, and en- 
deavor to effect a communication with some guerillas 
in the interior. With this object we secured at Coche 
a number of fiecheras — long boats used in Margarita 
for spreading the nets — and a sufficient number of 
Guaiqueri Indians to man them. These boats are 
fifty feet long, very sharp and low, to admit of theii 
being propelled by paddles dexterously handled by 
the Indian rowers, who, keeping perfect time in 
the strokes, give, in consequence, greater impetus to 



428 WILD SCENES IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



the flecheras / hence their name, from flecha, an arrow. 
When manned by fifteen or twenty rowers on a side, 
the usual allowance for each boat, they look like huge 
centipedes skimming swiftly over the water. 

The Guaiqueries are besides very expert divers, on 
which account they were advantageously employed 
in the pearl-fisheries of Margarita before the oyster 
beds producing the pearls were destroyed by greedy 
speculators. In former times, Margarita was the 
centre of a brisk trade with people of all nations, 
who flocked there to procure those beautiful gems 
" of purest ray serene." The inhabitants, however, 
carry on at present a more permanent business in 
the produce of their seines. At Coche, where the 
most considerable fisheries are located, I had an op- 
portunity of witnessing the exploits of the Indian 
divers, when they were overhauling the contents of 
the enormous seines employed there. So great was 
the draught of fish in one of them, that four hundred 
men could not land it ; therefore, some of the captives 
were allowed to escape, which was done by the divers 
unfastening under water the cords uniting the two 
compartments dividing these seines — a feat accom- 
plished by the Guaiqueries in an incredibly short 
time, regardless of the numerous sharks among the 
other fish. The seine being thus partially relieved 
of its contents, was speedily dragged on shore, when 
men, women, and children busied themselves in clean- 
ing, salting, and spreading the fish to dry upon the 
sand. The care of removing the remains and smaller 
fry accumulated upon the beach, was left to the dogs 
and pigs from the village, who feasted during a whole 



A CRUISE IN THE CARIBBEAN SEA 



429 



afternoon upon, among other things, the finest sar- 
dines I ever saw. The fishermen call these Spanish 
sardines, probably from their beautiful appearance, 
it being still the habit of the people in South Amer- 
ica to honor with that adjective any thing particu- 
larly fine. 

Our short stay at Coche, although not quite so 
satisfactory in a political point of view, was produc- 
tive of great relief to us after our wearisome voyage 
up the coast. When ready to depart for the main- 
land, most of the male inhabitants of the island vol- 
unteered their services and their flecheras ; nor did 
they omit to bring along a seine, which proved of 
great advantage in providing fish for all when no 
other provisions could be obtained. Each of the 
larger vessels took a flechera in tow, and thus 
equipped we set sail for Carupano, a port of some im- 
portance to the south-east of Margarita. We passed 
an American schooner at anchor near the spot where, 
years ago, the Spanish line-of-battle-ship San Pedro 
Alcantara was burned to the water's edge and sunk 
during the terrible siege of the island by the royalists. 
A large amount of money, said to be not less than 
two millions of dollars, was lost along with her, and 
the crew of the Yankee vessel, well provided with the 
necessary appliances, were now engaged in diving for 
the almighty dollar. They had succeeded in blasting 
the old hulk to pieces with the assistance of a gal- 
vanic battery and diving-bell ; but whether they dug 
up sufficient " tin " to pay expenses and leave a hand- 
some surplus, no one knew. All that was known 
was, that after each explosion enough of dead fish 



4:30 



WILD SCENES IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



was picked from the surface of the water to load the 
schooner. Perhaps the fear of rousing the cupidity 
of their less industrious neighbors occasioned this ex- 
treme reserve. 

Two days' sailing in the placid waters of the eastern 
sea, brought us before the ramparts of Carupano, 
which town unfortunately we found also already oc- 
cupied by troops sent from the city of Cumana and 
other places less devoted to our cause. We attempt- 
ed, nevertheless, to effect a landing under cover of 
night, but were deterred from doing so by the timely 
warning of some citizens, who swam over to our ves- 
sels and informed us that the enemy were strongly 
barricaded at all points. By the advice of those 
friends we then directed our course toward the bay 
of Puerto Santo, east of Carupano, where they as- 
sured us the people would flock by hundreds to join 
us. Our informants then wished us God speed and 
left us, returning on shore to prepare the people for 
our projected move. 

We were not deceived in this as we had been by 
other similar promises, for before morning we were 
joined by about three hundred mountaineers, all good 
marksmen, and eager to have a brush with the Mona- 
gueros in the city. Without waiting for further 
reinforcements, our commander, Colonel Codazzi, im- 
mediately ordered the advance upon Carupano over 
the hardest road conceivable, and so full of enormous 
centipedes, most of them twelve inches long, that it 
required the utmost care on our part , to avoid step- 
ping upon them. Their bite, although not fatal, is 



A CRUISE IN THE CARIBBEAN SEA. 



431 



exceedingly painful at the moment, followed by a high 
degree of local inflammation. 




In contrast with these poisonous insects, the beau- 
tiful, I might call it wonderful, butterfly-flower (On- 
cidium papilio) also abounds there. It belongs to the 
natural order Orchidacese, better known under the 
popular name of air-plants or parasites, those lovely 
daughters of Flora and Favonius, so rich in perfume 
as well as color, but whose principal charm consists 
in their caricaturing every object in nature, from the 
" human form divine " to the humble bee, often de- 
ceived by a perfect representation of his species, 
(Ophrys apifera.) Thus we count among our floral 
treasures, " angels, " " swans," " doves," " eagles," 
" pelicans," " spiders," " bumble-bees," and even a 
perfect infant in the cradle was found by Linden in 
the mountains of Merida. The celebrated Flor del 
Esjpiritu Santo (Peristeria elata) is another of this 
class. 



432 



WILD SCENES IN SOUTH AMERICA 



Many are the beautiful allegories with which the 
fanciful imagination of the children of the tropics has 
clothed these marvellous productions of their luxu- 
riant zone. " Not an infant is baptized, not a mar- 
riage is celebrated, not a funeral obsequy is per- 
formed, at which the aid of these flowers is not called 
in by the sentimental natives, to assist the expression 
of their feelings ; they are offered by the devotee at 
the shrine of his favorite saint, by the lover at the 
feet of his mistress, and by the sorrowing survivor at 
the grave of his friend ; whether, in short, on fast 
days or feast days, on occasion of rejoicing or in mo- 
ments of distress, these flowers are sought for with an 
avidity which would seem to say that there was ' no 
sympathy like theirs ; ' thus, ' Flor de los Santos,' 
4 Flor de Corpus,' 6 Flor de los Muertos,' ' Flor de 
Mayo,' 6 No me olvides,' (or ' Forget-me-not,') are but 
a few names out of the many that might be cited to 
prove the high consideration in which our favorites 
are held in the New World. Nor are these the only 
honors that are paid to them ; for Hernandez assures 
us that in Mexico the Indian chiefs set the very high- 
est value on their blossoms, for the sake of their great 
beauty, strange figure and delightful perfume ; while 
in the East Indies, if Rmnphius is to be credited, the 
flowers themselves positively refuse to be worn, ex- 
cept by princes or ladies of high degree."* 

Pardon, gracious reader, if, fearing the hundred- 
footed monsters upon the road, I have taken so lofty 
a flight among the " angels " and " spread-eagles " 



* Bateman, Oichideae. 



A CRUISE IN THE CARIBBEAN SEA. 



±33 



overhead ; air-plants, my special delight, never escape 
a passing compliment from me. 

Descending to the beautiful valley of Maracapana 
after our fatiguing march over the mountains, we 
were again warned not to attack the city, as our force 
was insufficient to dislodge the enemy from their in- 
trenchments. Without stopping to count them at 
all events, we retraced our steps and fell suddenly 
upon Rio-Caribe, another port further east, which we 
captured after a feeble resistance from the garrison. 
I had the honor of being the only one hit, though 
slightly, on this occasion. 

The fleet had now no difficulty in getting safely 
into a snug harbor, which it did on the same day, 
anchoring in front of our barracks near the mouth of 
the little river from which the port takes its name. 
A large quantity of cacao, captured during our cruise, 
being stored in them, the Honorable H. Garcia, who 
acted in the double capacity of Quartermaster-gen- 
eral and Commander-in-chief for the time being, pro- 
ceeded to discharge, weigh, and re-ship to St. Thomas 
our ill-gotten booty, to be disposed of for provisions 
and other necessaries. 

Eio-Caribe has the disadvantage of being rather 
sultry and unhealthy, on which account we did not 
enjoy our conquest longer than was necessary to 
muster some additional reinforcements of volunteers. 
Attracted by the refreshing shade along the woody 
banks of the river, several of our men were in the 
habit of spending there in idleness a great portion of 
the day ; but even this small comfort was of short 
duration, it being observed after a while that many 
19 



434: 



WILD SCENES IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



of those who frequented the spot, became benumbed 
and swollen in the most unaccountable manner. On 
investigating the cause of this singular disorder, it 
proved to arise from the baneful exhalations of an 
euphorbiaceous tree, the Hippomane mancinella or 
mcmzanillo, whose dense foliage of a brilliant green 
particularly invites the weary and indolent to repose 
under its shade. It bears a fruit not unlike a small 
apple in shape, color, and perfume, hence its name ; 
unfortunately, like the apple of Eden, it is forbidden 
fruit among the paradisiacal groves of the New 
World. Yet, the fertile imagination of the author 
of Monte Cristo, parodying the luminous science of 
the South- American Orfila, would not fail to find in 
it a splendid subject for another dissertation on the 
transfusion of poisons. 

The rnanzanillo is a lover of the sea-shore, espe- 
cially rocky places washed by the dashing waves, 
and the fruit, dropping in the water, is eagerly swal- 
lowed by fish which, although not affected by the 
poison, readily transmit it to those who partake of 
their flesh. Muleteers, unacquainted with the poi- 
sonous properties of this plant, often ruin their animals 
by driving them with rods obtained from the branches 
of the tree. 



CHAPTER XXXI. 



ITO! FOR MAEACAIBO. 

"He who fights and runs away, 
Lives to fight another day." 

The scarcity of provisions at Rio-Caribe, which 
only offered a daily fare of fish, but more especially 
the fact that the enemy were marching in strong force 
upon us, determined our leader to return forthwith to 
Maracaibo. Fearing, however, to lose the further 
cooperation of our eastern allies, who would undoubt- 
edly refuse to follow, and unwilling to leave them be- 
hind, our commanders resorted to the stratagem of 
feigning a landing on the coast of Margarita, the 
friendly disposition of the inhabitants affording them 
a plausible pretext. Accordingly, all the troops were 
transferred on board the transports, with instructions 
to rendezvous at the port of Juan Griego, on the north 
of the island, and a fine evening breeze blowing at 
the time, we soon lost sight of the straggling town of 
Rio-Caribe and its poisonous orchards. 

The next morning all the vessels were quietly rid- 
ing at anchor in the above-mentioned harbor, but no 



436 



WILD SCENES IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



prospect of landing. The enemy, doubtless astonished 
at our apparent audacity, remained watching our 
ships from the ramparts of the forts on shore, which 
did not open upon us until the Constitucion sent a 
random shot to draw their fire. We had been told 
that these forts were dismantled, and had only a 
couple of guns left to fire salutes, which, having for 
balls only a few rusty shells, were, it was said, as use- 
less as the broken carriages upon which they were 
mounted ; yet the first shot struck off the head of the 
man stationed at the top of the flag-vessel, while 
others, following in quick succession, were aimed with 
so much accuracy, that it was found expedient to 
haul off to a safe distance. Toward evening the top- 
sail-man cried out " A sail to leeward ! " and immedi- 
ately after another and another hove in sight, until 
eleven vessels were signalled. JSTo doubts could be 
now entertained that the enemy's fleet were approach- 
ing ; but, instead of proceeding to attack it while we 
had the advantage of the windward, ours improved it 
to decamp ; and such was their haste that I, in com- 
pany with another young officer, having been sent 
out to reconnoitre along the coast, had scarce time to 
scramble on board the rear vessel, the one we be- 
longed to being already far away. 

The enemy's fleet, observing our movements, gave 
chase ; but, night approaching, we lost sight of each 
other until morning, when, to my sorrow, I perceived 
the transport containing the Llaneros attacked by 
one of the enemy's vessels, a large brig, while ours 
were — nowhere. The Llaneros had no defence on 
board except their lances ; these would have been 



HO! FOR MARACAIBO. 



437 



sufficient on land, but on shipboard served only to 
clog the movements of men unaccustomed to the 
heavings of the sea. Perceiving that the commander 
of the Paez — which vessel had received me on board 
— did not go to the rescue of the transport, although 
the rest of the fleet were far away to leeward, I ven- 
tured to suggest to the commander the humanity of 
such a step, but had scarcely spoken when, seizing 
me roughly by the arm, he threatened to put me in 
irons if I uttered another word upon that subject. 

After this violent demonstration, my sympathy 
for the Llaneros was of necessity smothered ; but my 
resolve, though a silent one, was full of hope that I 
should at some future day proclaim to the world the 
poltroonery of these commanders. To their shame, 
and that of our colonel, also on board, a little schoon- 
er, commanded by a foreigner, an Italian whose name 
I do not now recollect, mounting only one twelve- 
pounder pivot-gun, hove in sight at that moment, 
and, perceiving the dangerous situation of the trans- 
port, immediately went to her assistance, and took her 
in tow, after partially disabling the brig. 

Toward noon we succeeded in coming up with 
our fleet squadron, which, finding itself still pursued 
by the enemy's vessels, and doubtless ashamed of its 
hasty retreat, now faced about with a determination 
which, if at first exhibited, would have been highly 
creditable. Now it was the enemy's turn to ' vamose,' 
for scarcely had we formed our line of battle and pre- 
pared for the attack, than their vessels turned about 
and made off, never stopping until they reached Juan 
Griego. Our commanders at once improved the 



438 



WILD SCENES IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



opportunity to get themselves out of the scrape as 
quickly as possible, making their way back to Mara- 
caibo in as many days as it had previously taken 
weeks to accomplish the same distance. 

When I found myself again within the crumbling 
walls of the fort of San Carlos, with nothing but 
parched corn and occasional strips of lean beef for 
food, while the borders of the lake were abounding 
in fine cattle and luscious plantains, I, rather than thus 
starve in the midst of plenty, almost wished L _\~ a 
prisoner in the filthy dungeons of the enemy ; not from 
despair of the good cause I, as well as the rest of my 
family, had embraced, but the culpable remissness of 
the leaders in the province was such that, although 
they could with ease have provided against this 
wretchedness, having a numerous fleet of piraguas at 
their disposal, they kept the troops stationed at the 
castle in almost a famishing condition. Many of the 
poor fellows kidnapped from the healthy mountains 
of Carupano, died of dysentery, induced by the miser- 
able fare and brackish water of San Carlos. 

Necessity finally compelled the sluggish Andrade 
to make a move toward the city, where the enemy 
were quietly refreshing themselves upon the fat of the 
land after their hard march through La Goagira. A 
simple message sent by the Governor Serrano to the 
owners of piraguas soon brought together around the 
island every craft available for the embarkation of 
troops and their material. These were easily landed 
at Los Haticos under the guns of the fleet, but Castelli, 
who was not so dilatory as our commander, came out 
to the encounter as he was on his way to invest the 



HO! FOR MARACAIBO. 



439 



city. A fierce engagement with our advance, com- 
manded by two brave Englishmen, Colonels Weir and 
Minchin, immediately took place ; and although the 
enemy fought with desperation, they were finally 
compelled to retreat in disorder toward the city, 
which could have been captured the same day but for 
the stupidity of Andrade, who ordered Minchin back 
to Los Haticos. Here the former afterward amused 
himself in cutting down the beautiful cocoanut palms 
sh V" ' the place, to form with them barricades around 
the houses of that rural retreat, fearing another sortie 
of the enemy. 

These, although terribly cut up in the first en- 
gagement, and despite the barricades and heavy artil- 
lery, were not deterred from again attacking us — this 
time, however, with even more disastrous results to 
themselves than in the previous fight. Nearly one- 
half their numbers were left dead upon the field, and the 
survivors hastened back to the city to make prepara- 
tions for a speedy surrender. Still Andrade, whose 
force had greatly increased by voluntary enlistments 
of the people, hesitated to advance beyond his in- 
trenchments, not even permitting the brave Belisario 
to pursue the flying enemy with his Llanero cavalry. 

At length a brilliant plan for distinguishing him- 
self flashed upon Andrade, on hearing that reenforce- 
ments for Castelli were being assembled at Quisiro 
on the other side of the lake ; these he proposed to an- 
nihilate before they could be smuggled into Maracai- 
bo, embarking with this object seven hundred of the 
best troops at his command, beside a battery of light 
artillery. A landing was soon effected on the ene- 



440 



WILD SCENES IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



my's territory, his pickets driven in, and the strag- 
gling village of Quisiro invested in due form. Al- 
though its entire force did not amount to more than 
two hundred men under Zamora and Baca, they re- 
pelled all our attacks from behind the fences of the 
houses ; whereupon Andrade, instead of bringing his 
artillery to bear on those frail barricades, ordered a 
charge with the bayonet, which, of course, resulted in 
a repulse and great slaughter on our side. Then — as 
if fearful that the broad expanse of water between the 
enemy and his camp at Los Ilaticos would be insuf- 
ficient to guard against pursuit — he ordered a retreat 
toward San Carlos. 

We lost several valuable officers and a great num- 
ber of men by that foolish adventure ; yet the spirit 
of the troops, far from being daunted, seemed to gain 
fresh vigor after this reverse. Those who escaped 
being killed or wounded clamored to be carried back 
to Los Haticos, hoping that some more decided meas- 
ures would be taken for the reduction of the city. 

The enemy, emboldened by our discomfiture at 
Quisiro, made another sortie, with the object of pro- 
curing cattle for their famished regiments. They 
found no difficulty in collecting a large flock of goats 
and other animals, which they were driving over a 
hilly country toward the city, when, informed of 
their return by our videttes, Andrade ordered Com- 
mandant Belisario to intercept them with his cavalry, 
instead of detailing a body of infantry for that service. 
Never shall I forget the look of smiling resignation with 
which the noble-minded fellow rode past me at the head 
of his troop ; nor, to my inquiry of " Where bound, 



HO! FOR MARACAIBO. 



441 



companero f " his ominous reply, " A morir I " for he 
well knew the hazard of the undertaking ; yet un- 
complainingly did this brave heart pass from our 
sight to fulfil the fatal order of his superior. A few 
moments after, we heard a volley of musketry, fol- 
lowed by some random shots, which told us plainly 
that the fearless Llaneros had broken and dispersed 
the hosts opposed to them ; but, alas ! at the cost of 
their gallant commander, who with his charger fell, 
pierced with bullets, amid the bristling bayonets of 
the enemy. His comrades succeeded, nevertheless, 




LIE DT. -COLONEL ANTONIO BELISARIO. 



in carrying away his remains, after dispersing the ma- 
rauders, whom they pursued to the environs of the be- 
leaguered city. 

19* 



442 



WILD SCENES IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



When the lifeless body of Belisario was brought 
into the encampment at Los Haticos, it was received 
by his companions in arms with such demonstrations 
of loving reverence as virtues like his should ever 
command. The patriotic Maracaiberas were among 
the first to show their appreciation of the fallen hero 
by their graceful and fragrant adornings of his funeral 
bier, while all wept for this departed brave, as though 
with him had passed away the last hope for the good 
cause. 

It was, indeed, a sad spectacle to behold those cold 
remains, only a few hours before instinct with life 
and energy, breathing but in noble aspirations, and 
filled with every grace and virtue that endears man to 
man, now laid in mournful state. Even the stern 
Englishmen, usually so undemonstrative, could not 
repress their tears when the first notes of the funeral 
march wailed forth as we bore him with solemn step 
to his grave. Thus departed one who, had he lived, 
would have been an honor to his country, as he was 
already among the bravest and best. 

Another of the most daring in our little army was 
an American officer whose name, Barclay Clements, 
will long be admiringly remembered by his comrades 
in Yenezuela. Being unfamiliar with the Spanish 
language, he had no special duty assigned him, yet 
he was a host in himself with that terrible weapon 
of his nation, the rifle. Woe to the incautious " mo- 
nagoso " who, confiding in his stout intrenchments, 
should show his head above the parapet. A sudden 
disappearance of the red cap, following the crack of 
the Kentucky rifle, sufficiently indicated the probable 



HO! FOR MARACAIBO. 



44:3 



fate of its wearer. So formidable was the execution 
done by the sharpshooter — who made more havoc 
among Castelli's ranks than all the cannon brought 
by Andrade from the castle of San Carlos — that the 
former was induced, to set a prize upon the head of him 
whom he distinguished as the " accursed Yankee." 

Ammunition being rather a scarce commodity in 
the enemy's camp, a few rounds from our artillery, in 
lieu of being dreaded, were considered quite a God- 
send by the besieged, who never failed to return us 
our own missiles with good effect from a couple of 
rusty carronades formerly used as moorings for vessels 
in the harbor, but which the ingenious Castelli had 
now mounted upon heavy logs of mahogany. A most 
melancholy catastrophe was once caused by one of 
these guns among the market-women of Los Haticos, 
four of them, and two men, being killed by a single 
ball in its rebound from a palm tree. 

During several months no material advantage was 
gained on either side ; so time and ammunition were 
frittered away in fruitless skirmishes. At length the 
enemy's fleet, recovering from its fright in the eastern 
sea, made its appearance at the bar of Maracaibo, 
which it, nevertheless, did not venture to cross, owing 
to the presence of some of our vessels ; yet, they 
maintained a strict blockade at the mouth of the lake, 
permitting neither ingress nor egress. About this 
time a fine iron steamer, obtained by General Paez 
from the United States, arrived at the island of Oruba 
short of coal and without armament to successfully 
run the blockade. Unfortunately, she fell into the 
hands of the enthusiastic Garcia, who, although very 



444 



WILD SCENES IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



able in making speeches, knew nothing of naval 
affairs. By his advice and urgent solicitations she 
was hurried to San Carlos with as many bundles of 
brushwood as the barren soil of Oruba could afford. 
By the time she reached the bar the steamer had con- 
sumed the last chip, consequently she fell an easy 
prey to the enemy's fleet, and was forthwith taken to 
Puerto Cabello. 

The roughness of the sea outside the bar, especially 
in the month of November, when the " Northerns " 
render the anchorage there very unsafe, compelled 
the blockading squadron to beat about to windward for 
a while, thus affording another steamer, purchased by 
General Paez the opportunity to run in, which she 
did amid the liveliest rejoicings of the army and na- 
vy. The enemy's absence was of but short duration. 
Strengthened by some additional vessels, while we 
could only oppose to them six or seven schooners at 
the time, they improved the high tides then prevail- 
ing to force the bar when least expected, driving our 
little squadron like chaff before the wind. The artil- 
lery of the castle, however, speedily arrested the pro- 
gress of both conquerors and conquered, the latter 
not even stopping to fire a shot at their pursuers. 
What made the flight still more humiliating, was the 
presence of an English frigate, whose gallant crew 
witnessed the whole transaction from her anchorage 
outside the bar. I was standing on the parapet of 
the castle, amazed at the strange manceuvrings of 
our schooners when, roused to consciousness of the 
cause by the first flash from the enemy's cannon, I 
perceived that it was fired precisely in my direction ; 



HO! FOR MARACAIBO. 



445 



I involuntarily moved a little to one side, and imme- 
diately after saw a ball strike the spot upon which I 
had been standing. Whether it was aimed at me or 
not, was matter of but little consideration ; yet I could 
not fail to congratulate myself that the enemy had 
lost such food for rejoicing as would have been the 
death of General Paez's son. 

Thus far victorious, the enemy might then have 
pushed on to Maraeaibo and bombarded the camp at 
Los Haticos before Andrade was even aware of his 
danger. But they lacked the pluck of Padilla, who, 
in 1824, performed a similar feat before a vastly su- 
perior force. Regardless of the thunders of San Car- 
los—then in the hands of the Spaniards — and a power- 
ful fleet beside, the patriot General compelled the lat- 
ter to retreat beyond the shoals of El Tablazo, and af- 
terward boarded and captured the whole fleet. 

Awed by the fires from the castle, the enemy 
quickly withdrew to Bajo Seco, where they could 
have been speedily destroyed if our commanders had 
had the precaution to establish a battery on that 
sandy islet while they held possession of it. This the 
enemy effected without loss of time, to the subsequent 
ruin of our fleet and prospects. 

A council of war was convened on the next day to 
meet at San Carlos, and a plan adopted for the imme- 
diate attack of the enemy's fleet ; but, desirous of 
avoiding, as much as possible, the shedding of blood, 
it was decided to send a despatch to the commander, 
General Briceno, requesting him to withdraw from 
those waters before he should be compelled thereto vi 
et armis. I was commissioned to carry this humane 



446 



WILD SCENES IN SOUTH AMERICA 



warning, and although I expected nothing short of 
violent imprisonment, I was received with courtesy 
and even kindness by the officers, who only detained 
me long enough to treat me to a good breakfast. 

General Briceno having declined our terms, orders 
were issued to the commanders of all our vessels to 
assemble at San Carlos, and hold themselves in readi- 
ness for the forthcoming battle. Before morning 
dawned on the following day, the fleet were under 
way and attacked the enemy in their safe anchorage ; 
but, instead of prosecuting the plan fiirst laid out, viz., 
that of boarding each of the enemy's vessels, as was 
practised by Padilla, they opened their fires upon 
them under full canvas, and with a rapidly ebbing 
tide. The consequence was a nearly total destruction 
of the whole fleet by a raking storm of cannon and 
musketry, the narrowness of the channel not permit- 
ting them to sail round the foe, as had been their in- 
tention. The vessels that were not driven ashore had 
the rigging so badly cut that they could scarcely re- 
gain their anchorage, while the enemy sustained little 
or no injury. Great was also our loss in killed, 
wounded, and prisoners, which so disheartened the 
leaders that, without waiting an attack from the block- 
ading forces — still in their former positions — they 
resolved to evacuate the province altogether, prefer- 
ring an inglorious retreat to the honorable capitula- 
tion offered by General Briceno through me. 

Andrade, however, managed the evacuation of 
the castle and his camp before Maracaibo with great- 
er skill than he had displayed in conducting the siege ; 
for it was not until the chief part of the distance to 



HO! FOR MARACAIBO. 



447 



Congo Bay had been accomplished, that the enemy- 
discovered the retreat. Thither Briceno followed us 
in a steamer and a few other vessels, judging from the 
hasty manner of our departure that our forces must be 
in a state of complete demoralization, as was indeed 
the case, some of the commanders of the fleet actually 
refusing to obey orders, and directing their course 
toward the Catatumbo, in search of an outlet to New 
Granada, preferring this rather than to rendezvous at 
the mouth of the Escalante, as commanded. For my 
part, I did not see the wisdom of trying to escape by 
either route, as the one would lead us through a thick 
forest and quagmires into the province of Merida, in 
possession of the enemy ; while the other was no less 
fraught with difficulty and hardships, not to mention 
the tormenting insects to be encountered on the river. 

Those of our companions in arms who had never 
before visited the interior of the lake, and who had 
only some faint idea of the famous nubes de mosquitos 
■ — clouds of mosquitoes — often wafted by the breeze 
across the water, were now alarmed by the appear- 
ance in the air of long, dark streaks, resembling the 
smoke from the chimney of a steamer. There being 
no other vessels of this sort upon the lake but the one 
we were in and the enemy's, they naturally supposed 
that the latter was close upon us. These fears were 
not dispelled until somewhat later in the clay, when a 
shower of mosquitos fell upon the deck like a burst- 
ing water-spout. They were, however, of a different 
species from those with which I was already ac- 
quainted, differing from them in the absence of the 
proboscis ; consequently they do not sting, and are 



448 



WILD SCENES IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



therefore called mosquitos hobos — foolish mosqui- 
tos. 

No less bobos proved to be our pilots in seeking 
for the mouth of the Escalante, mistaking one of its 
numerous creeks for the main channel of the river. 
After considerable effort we succeeded in getting 
the steamer through the narrow creek, having ground- 
ed several times in the attempt, and lost much valu- 
able time. Great numbers of piraguas, laden with 
troops, had preceded us, and were now endeavoring to 
reach the town of Zulia — our destination — by the slow 
method of dragging with hooked poles, as described 
in a former chapter. The other vessels of the fleet 
were all abandoned at the mouth of the river, with the 
exception of two that were blown up by their com- 
manders. A little more reflection would have shown 
the expediency of sinking them instead, thus block- 
ing the channel and preventing the enemy's steamers 
from ascending the Escalante after our disorganized 
forces. Not even a guard was stationed below the 
town to apprise us in case of pursuit, Andrade not 
intending to abide longer at Zulia than was necessary 
to dispose his march through the tangled forest and 
almost impassable morasses of that unhealthy region. 

On arriving at the place, our forces scarcely 
amounted to four hundred men all told, the rest hav- 
ing deserted in various ways. The town offering but 
few accommodations for even so small a body of 
troops, most of these were immediately transferred to 
the other side of the river. Only a squad of infantry 
and what remained of the faithful Llaneros, were left 
to look after the sick and wounded. Having at the 



HO! FOR MARACAIBO. 



449 



time no special duty to perform, excepting that of in- 
terpreter on board the steamer, I remained at my post 
until nightfall ; but the mosquitos proving rather im- 
portunate, I proposed to the officers that we should 
seek accommodations on shore, not in the least antici- 
pating an attack, for that night at all events. 

When about retiring to our beds we were startled 
by the sound of two or three shots in the direction of 
the plaza. One of us, my brother Sabas, went out to 
reconnoitre, but before his return we heard a tremen- 
dous volley of musketry, and yells of Viva Monagas. 
I did not know what became of my companions, but 
they all disappeared in an instant ; nor did they even 
report themselves on board the steamer, which I 
reached by swimming, no one venturing to come to 
my assistance with a boat. Shortly after, my missing 
brother also came on board by the same expeditious 
method, he having narrowly escaped being killed by 
the advancing enemy, who, unable to dislodge our men 
from the houses on the plaza, with characteristic brutal- 
ity, set fire to the thatch with which they were roofed, 
and in a few moments the whole town was enveloped 
in flames. By the glare of these we were enabled to 
pour grape and shot from the steamer upon the incen- 
diaries, many of whom fell while in the act of applying 
the torch to the roof that sheltered the Llaneros ; the 
latter then retreated toward the steamer, now become 
the scene of action. Unfortunately, the pivot-gun, 
which had in the commencement done such terrible 
execution, got out of order after a few rounds ; but we 
still retained the use of two carronades, and these 
were admirably served by my young friend Roseliano 



450 WILD SCENES IN SOUTH AMERICA. 

and Manuel Escurra, another brave youth from Ca- 
racas. 

We were so near the landing that, although the 
night was very dark after the conflagration subsided, 
we could plainly distinguish the red caps of the ene- 
my by the flash of our cannon. As these did not 
seem to produce much impression upon them, we re- 
sorted to smaller arms, which we could use to greater 
advantage, being, from the strength of the river cur- 
rent and the want of engineers on board, unable to 
turn the steamer. 

The contest was steadily maintained during the 
entire night, and although the odds were greatly 
against us, we were unwilling " to give up the ship " 
in hopes that Andrade — who we knew was but a short 
distance off — would recross the river and attack the 
enemy on the rear. When morning dawned, instead 
of friends, we saw only the red caps of our foes ap- 
pearing through the fences and windows of the houses 
fronting the river, from whence issued volleys of 
destructive fire. We returned it for awhile, but con- 
vinced at last of the inutility of prolonging the strug- 
gle, I endeavored to set in motion the machinery of 
the steamer, aided by the mate, the only one on board 
who understood any thing of its management. While 
thus engaged a ball struck my assistant, depriving us 
of his valuable services at this critical moment. We 
then endeavored to hoist the anchor, but the strength 
of the current was such, that we could not bring the 
steamer up to it. A few blows applied to one of the 
bolts of the chain severed the connecting links, and 
we then drifted down the stream. 



HO! FOR MARACAIBO. 



451 



We had, however, proceeded but a short distance, 
when we discovered below a bend of the river the 
smoke pipe of the enemy's steamer, evidently in good 
position and ready to receive us. But, with no one to 
direct our craft, and with only sick and wounded on 
board, we could offer no further resistance. Several 
of our men sprang into the water and swam ashore to 
avoid being made prisoners, among them my wounded 
brother Tomas, whom I never saw again. I would 
have followed their example, but for my cherished 
note and sketch books, which I had stored away in the 
steamer, and I preferred captivity to the loss of either. 

Having no white flag at hand, a shirt was imme- 
diately hoisted at the topmast, in lieu of it, as a signal 
of surrender, thus realizing the witty parody on Vol- 
taire's (Edipus, 

" Quand on a tout perdu, et qu'il n'y a point d'espoir," &c. 
Bat the enemy's steamer threatening to fire upon us 
if we did not drop anchor, we, having none, fastened 
a stout rope round a carronade and rolled it over- 
board. Thus ended our first campaign against Mo- 
nagas. 

Fortunately we fell into the hands of our old ac- 
quaintance General Briceno, a man distinguished for 
his humanity toward the vanquished, and he re- 
ceived us on board his steamer with delicate and high- 
bred courtesy. We then learned that the officer who 
led the attack against the town was no other than the 
famous Ezequiel Zamora, who, from being a convict 
and the comrade of Rangel, was raised to the rank of 
General by the unscrupulous ruler of unhappy Vene- 
zuela. Zamora was one of those most desperate char- 



452 WILD SCENES IN SOUTH AMERICA. 

aeters, without education or social position, who, in 
South America, often rise amid the whirl of civil dis- 
cord. He would have put to death all his prisoners, 
as he had done in former times, but for the strict 
injunctions of General Briceno, who had previously 
warned him against any acts of cruelty toward them. 
This wretch has lately forfeited his life in his renewed 
endeavors to reinstate the sway of a rapacious family 
at the expense of his country's weal. 

As for the indirect author of our misfortunes, An- 
drade, we afterward heard that he had capitulated 
to the commander of the forces of Monagas in the 
province of Merida, who allowed him to retire into 
New Granada with all who wished to follow him. 
We were less fortunate, being taken back to Maracai- 
bo, the same day, there to await the pleasure of the 
Commander-in-chief, Castelli. As we sailed out of 
the river Escalante and past Congo Bay, my thoughts 
involuntarily turned to the humble fisherman in his 
hut, who, months before, as if impressed with a pre- 
sentiment of our approaching catastrophe, had offered 
to conduct me in his canoe to New Granada. How 
gladly would I now have availed myself of his ser- 
vices ; but it was, alas ! too late. From Maracaibo 
we were taken to Caracas, and there confined in a 
filthy jail in company with some of the worst charac- 
ters in the country. As a crowning climax, we were 
loaded with irons, and treated in all respects like 
common felons by orders of the late butcher of his 
country's representatives. We only owed our pres- 
ervation and obtained our passports for Curacao to 
the untiring efforts of our lamented friend Don Juan 



HO ! FOR MARACAIBO. 



453 



Manuel Munoz y Funes, brother-in-law to Queen 
Cristina, and Spanish Minister at Caracas, a true 
Spanish hidalgo, whose name will be ever cherished 
by the Yenezuelian people. Noble at heart, as well 
as in principle, his main effort, while in our midst, 
was to conciliate, by his gentlemanly demeanor rather 
than through treaties, the long pending difficulties be.- 
tween his nation and her former colony of the Main. 
Although his demise occurred while absent from his 
post, Caracas paid to his memory, in solemn funeral 
obsequies, that tribute of love and respect only shown 
to the most favored of her sons. 



CHAPTER XXXII. 



P AEZ. 

After a separation of fifteen months, during 
which time many hardships and vicissitudes had 
been experienced on both sides, we had the happiness, 
on the 18th of April, of rejoining our Leader, then 
at Curacao, entirely recovered from his late illness, 
and ready to take the field once more against the 
oppressor of his country. Scarcely a week elapsed, 
which did not bring us tidings of some new act of 
high-handed persecution against unoffending citizens. 
The property of the disaffected was seized, wherever 
found ; entire cattle estates were relieved of their 
herds, by the followers of Monagas, while the rev- 
enues of the custom houses were appropriated at once 
as the patrimony of his family. A reign of terror 
was established at the capital, and throughout the 
most important districts of the country. Gregorito, 
a son of the weak-minded Jose Gregorio, vied with 
the ferocious Juan Sotillo, in the exploits by which 
they endeavored to maintain the prestige of the 
dreaded fraternity.* 

* An honorable exception must be made of the sons of Jose Tadeo, 
who bore no part in these atrocities, and whose exemplary conduct and 



PAEZ. 



455 



To arrest, if possible, further iniquities, and being 
urged repeatedly from all quarters of the republic to 
come to the rescue of the inhabitants, General Paez, 
with a select body of officers, sailed for Coro on the 1st 
of June — a successful pronunciamento having already 
been effected in the province — and immediately took 
the field with the troops collected there. Although 
these scarcely amounted to one thousand, our Leader 
felt confident that the people in other parts would fol- 
low the example of those of Coro, and lend him their 
support, as had been previously offered him. With 
the object of ascertaining the extent of what they 
promised, our little army, encumbered with a long 
train of baggage-donkeys and mules, mostly loaded 
with ammunition, and three hundred reserved muskets 
— commenced their march toward the east on the 
20th, this being the most expeditious way of deciding 
the contest with our enemies. We encamped the 
first night at Taratara, the scene of a former struggle 
with them, the recollection of which afforded me no 
grounds for dreams of future triumphs. 

The next stopping-place was the town of Cuma- 
rebo, pleasantly located on the summit of a moun- 
tain, and celebrated in the history of the country as 
being also the scene of several sanguinary conflicts 
between royalists and patriots. Thus might one 
travel from Maracaibo to Maturin — the two extreme 
ends of the republic — over one continuous battle- 
ground, the war arena for half a century of a people 
scarcely numbering one million of souls. 

gentlemanly demeanor gained them the respect of the inhabitants, and 
contrasted singularly with the actions and rough manners of the remain- 
der of the family. 



4-56 WILD SCENES IN SOUTH AMERICA. 

Oumarebo gave to us a few additional volunteers, 
and the mountains of San Luis a small column of 
infantry, which together increased our effective force 
to about eight hundred. On the night of our arrival 
at Cumarebo, we were entertained for a couple of 
hours by the recitation of some poems, by a talented 
negro slave, belonging to the family at whose house 
we were stopping, and composed by him in honor of 
General Paez. Our pleasure and astonishment were 
enhanced upon learning that this rude poet — unable 
to read or write — was forced to commit to memory 
his compositions even as he conceived them. 

On the 23d, we resumed the march through a 
delightfully shaded road, with occasional openings of 
green savannas, and halted at Piritu, a town of little 
importance, but which nevertheless contributed its 
full quota of volunteers to the good cause. These 
formed part of the force under General Carmona, 
who was already posted on the road to Puerto 
Cabello. 

No less patriotic were the young ladies of this place, 
who, in addition to an address read by them in verse 
to our Leader, prepared for him a chair of state, 
adorned with flags and other allegorical emblems. 
Piritu is likewise noted for the beauty of its climate 
and surrounding scenery. From our quarters in the 
plaza, I enjoyed at the same time a view of the 
mountain range on which the town is situated, and 
of the famous valley of the Yaracuy, toward the south. 
Lack of space, and of adequate language, prevents 
a description of that magnificent valley, which, upon 
its wild bosom, bears many a winding river pursuing 



PAEZ. 



457 



their silent course to the Caribbean Sea, through 
dense forests of invaluable vegetable products, and 
over vast savannas, rivalling in freshness even those 
of the Apure. With regret I turned away from this 
enchanting view, to join the main body of our troops, 
now far beyond the town. My duties as aide-de-camp 
to the Commander-in-Chief, necessarily required my 
constant attendance at his side, often depriving me 
of the contemplation of scenes more in harmony 
with my tastes. 

We tarried for two days on the plains of Curari, 
to procure a herd of cattle, as our march was to be 
henceforth through a complete wilderness, the plan 
of the campaign having been altered, in order to 
reach the Llanos — the goal of our Leader's aspirations 
— by a short cut : his deficiency in cavalry, and the 
certainty of a movement in his favor so soon as the 
people there should hear of his landing, rendered this 
change expedient. 

On the 24th, we reached the village of Jacura, 
where we expected to incorporate the force under 
Carmona. In this, however, we were disappointed, 
as Carmona insisted upon being left behind to guard 
against any attack on our rear ; a precaution hardly 
necessary, having little to fear in this respect from 
the population of Coro. A lofty range of mountains 
intervened between this province and the Llanos, 
while the force at our command was insufficient to 
cope with the numerical strength of our opponents. 

Undeterred by the almost insuperable obstacles 
to be encountered on the route, our Leader gave the 
order to march southward, impelled thereto by that 
20 



458 



WILD SCENES IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



righteous, self-sacrificing spirit, which has ever been 
his guide. 

The first few leagues of the journey convinced 
us that we had taken the wrong road ; but to return 
was now impossible : so, forcing our way through 
tangled branches, and skirting fearful precipices, we 
reached at length the ranch of Guararipana, inhabited 
by an old negro, Anselmo, who, with his family of 
half a dozen daughters and as many boys, were the 
only human beings we had encountered since leaving 
Jacura. 

On the 29th, we descended the first range of 
mountains, and encamped on the borders of the Rio 
Tocuyo, which we crossed with great difficulty on 
the following day, having only one small canoe in 
which to transport ourselves and our heavy baggage. 

Owing to the incessant rains, the road, or rather 
path, had become impassable, so that we advanced 
but little on the 30th ; and our weary troops were 
compelled to encamp supperless on the slope of a 
precipitous mountain, as soon as it grew dark. Sev- 
eral of our animals, missing their footing, rolled down 
the precipice, and among them my own horse, which, 
fearing a fall, I was driving before me. Unwilling 
to give him up for lost, I followed his descent, but 
presently found myself imbedded to my knees in the 
most adhesive mud, enveloped in complete darkness, 
and with little or no hope of rejoining my compan- 
ions. My chief dread was that I might fall into the 
jaws of some ferocious panther, or step upon some 
of the horrid serpents abounding there. Never had I 
known real terror until that fearful night. After long 



PAEZ. 



459 



and desperate struggles to free myself from the mud, 
and assisted by occasional gleams of light from the 
very large and numerous fire-flies, I finally suc- 
ceeded in extricating myself from the " slough of 
despond " into which my horse had led me. Happily 
I soon overtook a soldier driving a tired horse, which, 
in the darkness, I at first had mistaken for a panther. 
From the man I learned, to my great relief, that the 
advance guard was encamped further on, upon the 
banks of the rivulet or quebrada of Cararapa, toward 
which he was now going. "We therefore walked 
along in company, driving the horse before us, to 
serve, if necessary, as a scapegoat to the tigers. I 
arrived at last safe and sound, with only the loss of my 
shoes and an excellent horse, at the quebrada. Speedily 
doffing my muddy garments, I devoted myself to most 
thorough ablutions ; and after well washing my clothes, 
I squatted down, Indian fashion, to dry them and 
myself before a blazing fire. Such are some of the 
delights of campaigning among the mountains of 
South America. 

We wandered through tangled forests, and over 
the lofty Sierra of Aroa — famous for the richness of 
its copper mines and the boldness of its panthers — 
until the 5th of August, when we descended to the 
valley of Yaracuy, dispersing some guerillas we en- 
countered, without any serious casualties on our side. 
We afterward passed through several villages on the 
route ; but although the inhabitants were known to 
be friendly disposed toward us, they invariably dis- 
appeared at our approach, doubtless afraid to com- 
promise themselves. 



460 



WILD SCENES IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



On the 7th, we reached the summit of another 
range of mountains, mostly covered with verdant 
meadows, admirably adapted for raising sheep, al- 
though not a single flock of these useful animals exists 
there. We slept at the farm of Pontezuela, where 
we noticed some fine cattle, and on the 8th pre- 
pared to march on the ancient city of Nirgua, where 
the enemy was reported to be in force. We still 
held as prisoners of war, the Governor appointed by 
Monagas in Coro, his military commander, General 
Yalero, of ventriloquial celebrity, and other worthies, 
who being more of an encumbrance than profit, our 
Commander-in-Chief paroled them all, and left them 
behind, unwilling to expose their persons to the 
bullets of their own friends. The latter, however, 
retired at our approach, and we occupied the city 
without the least opposition. 

Mrgua is the third city in antiquity of those 
founded by the Spaniards on the New Continent, as 
its present dilapidated state shows ; but it would be 
difficult to find a more delicious climate or lovelier 
environs. It is situated upon a high plateau, sur- 
rounded by still higher mountains, from whose sum- 
mit there flows ever an unceasing current of refresh- 
ing air. There we enjoyed what we stood most in 
need of, viz., a day of rest and a good dinner, but 
no pronunciamento, most of the men having previously 
been driven from the town by a despotic military 
commander. 

We had not been molested by the enemy in some 
days ; but, on the morning of the 10th, a large force, 
composed of infantry and cavalry, appeared on our 



PAEZ. 



461 



rear, drawn up on the heights commanding the city. 
We expected every moment to be attacked, and pre- 
pared to receive them, our policy being throughout 
the campaign, to maintain ourselves strictly on the 
defensive. Observing that the enemy did not seem 
disposed to risk a battle in the narrow streets of 
Nirgua, we took our positions outside, on the road lead- 
ing to Valencia, when — supposing we were attempt- 
ing our escape — they rushed down upon us most 
furiously. Without flinching, we awaited their ap- 
proach in good order of battle — so much to their 
chagrin, that without advancing within range of our 
muskets, they poured upon us volleys of vulgar 
abuse. Unwilling to waste our time and ammunition 
upon the miserable rabble, we moved slowly on our 
way over a fine mountain road, evidently much fre- 
quented in ordinary times, as attested by the number 
of pidperias and farm-houses, now entirely deserted. 

Attracted by the beauty of the scenery and 
abundance of resources, we pitched our camp early, in 
the evening, in the charming vale of El Potrero, the 
seat of a fine farm, well stocked with poultry, vege- 
tables, and cattle ; and these being considered com- 
mon property in times of civil war, we fared well that 
night, especially as there was no one about the 
premises to claim them. 

The advance guard had some hot work that night 
with the pickets of another force in front of us, show- 
ing very conclusively that we were hemmed in 
between two fires, as the other phalanx from Nirgua, 
although moving on very cautiously, was known to 
be approaching our position. Still, when morning 



462 WILD SCENES IN SOUTH AMERICA. 

dawned, we prepared to move forward, in hopes of 
soon effecting a junction with the cavalry of the 
Llanos, our Leader having received positive informa- 
tion at Mrgua that a great portion of that warlike 
section of the republic was already in arms against 
Monagas. 

The road from El Potrero passes over a low range 
of hills, from whose summit we enjoyed a fine view 
of the enchanting plain of Albahacas ; and several 
miles beyond, the coffee-bearing mountains of Mont- 
alban — decked in the choicest products of a temperate 
clime — lifted here and there giant peaks amid a hover- 
ing veil of fleecy clouds. In vain we strained our 
eyes in the endeavor to descry the position of the 
force opposed to us, in that direction. Concealed by 
the woody copses along the numerous streams of the 
plain, the enemy awaited our approach, ready to 
spring upon us like sneaking hyenas from their lairs. 
Onward we went through mire and rain, without 
meeting with any accident until we reached the 
middle of the plain. Having halted to prepare our 
morning meal at a deserted inn, the usual precautions 
were taken to guard against a surprise ; but before we 
had had time to light the fires, the advance guard, 
which had been posted on the banks of a river on our 
left, was suddenly attacked by a large force under 
cover of the woods skirting the river, while our front 
and right flank were menaced at the same time by 
large masses of infantry and cavalry. Before we came 
to blows with these, our little band on the left, com- 
manded by the brave American, Captain Clements, 
put to flight the force opposed to him, which so 



PAEZ. 



463 



affrighted the others — especially as they could not as- 
certain our actual numbers on account of the woods 
— as to cause an immediate change in their tactics, re- 
sulting in an inglorious retreat toward the neighbor- 
ing woods. Without giving them time to recover from 
their astonishment, we pushed boldly on across the 
plain, anxious to regain the higher ground, where we 
could more easily defy their whole force, in case they 
were disposed to renew the attack. Some ineffectual 
attempts were made by detachments of cavalry to 
head us off, but their infantry did not show itself un- 
til it was too late to arrest our progress. 

Once again on high ground, we could with ease 
view the various corps oVarmee operating against us 
on the plain of Albahacas. Without reckoning the 
forces which so mysteriously disappeared in the woods 
on our right and front, there was to the left of the po- 
sition lately occupied by us, and screened by the in- 
tervening ridge of woods along the river banks, a long 
line of cavalry, 2,000 strong, besides the corps of in- 
fantry so bravely repulsed by Captain Clements. It 
was a fortunate circumstance that our victorious sol- 
diers, while endeavoring to ford the river in pursuit 
of the flying enemy, wetted their powder, compelling 
them to return to their positions, thereby escaping the 
onset of the enemy's hidden cavalry. The road from 
Nirgua was held by the force which had hovered on 
our rear the day before ; while the host which at- 
tempted to intercept our march toward the mountains 
could not have been less than seven hundred. In all, 
the enemy numbered about five thousand men ! 

We remained in undisturbed possession of the field 



464 



WILD SCENES IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



until night, when, having rested sufficiently from our 
fatigues of that day, we took the road to the Llanos, 
leaving our discomfited foes to concoct a more suc- 
cessful scheme for entrapping us. We had laid the 
" flattering unction to our souls," that the most diffi- 
cult part of the journey had been already accom- 
plished, as it was impossible to conceive of a worse 
road than the one we had left behind us ; but a few 
steps onward in the darkness revealed to us the folly 
of our hopes ; and we found that there was greater 
danger of being hurled into eternity down one of the 
surrounding precipices, than from the comparatively 
harmless fire of the enemy. Trusting more to our 
own hands and feet than to the four-footed beasts to 
scramble with us up the steep ascent, the few who 
were still fortunate enough to ride a horse, dismount- 
ed and performed this portion of the journey partly 
on all fours. When midnight came, the whole army 
was fairly exhausted by fatigue and hunger, and dis- 
pirited also, having lost all prospect of ameliorating 
its condition. The only refuge left us from our sor- 
rows was in sleep ; so, spreading our ponchos upon a 
bleak and rugged peak several thousand feet above 
the level of the plains we were in quest of, officers 
and privates were soon on a level with each other. 
When we rose at early dawn to proceed on our weary 
journey, the ground around us was frozen like the 
hearts of the wanderers when remembering that, 
though inveigled into this hazardous enterprise by 
our own countrymen, as yet not one had ventured out 
of his hiding place to give us even the least informa- 
tion concerning the state of affairs in the republic. 



PAEZ. 



465 



This day's march, though not so fatiguing to our 
troops, as we had already attained the summit of the 
Cordillera, and were now on the descent, was none 
the less discouraging, from the absolute scarcity of 
provisions along the route. Late in the afternoon the 
advance guard surprised a post of about a hundred 
men, who fired a few shots and then decamped, leav- 
ing in the possession of our famished soldiers a slaugh- 
tered cow, which they were preparing to roast. Some- 
what strengthened by this unexpected meal, we were 
enabled to push forward to the next post, arriving late 
in the evening at the hamlet of Casupo, which proved 
to be deserted, but where we found abundant stock 
of cattle and waving fields of Indian corn. 

We expected to have reached El Tinaco, a town 
on the borders of the Llanos, the next day ; but, on 
resuming the journey, we discovered the heights 
commanding the road already occupied by a large 
band of ragamuffins under Zamora, who, as a matter 
of course, commenced the attack upon our advancing 
columns with volleys of abuse, before they bethought 
themselves of their arms. Disregarding both, and 
not even firing a shot in return, our Commander-in- 
Chief ordered the advance up a steep mountain on the 
right of their position — a movement evidently mistaken 
by the enemy for unwillingness on our part to fight 
at all ; for, shouting in exultation, they came precipi- 
tately down upon us. Our Leader had anticipated this 
result of his ruse. When, therefore, they were suffi- 
ciently detached from their inaccessible eyrie, Colonel 
Minchin, who commanded the rear guard, charged 
upon them with the bayonet, killing forty, and scat- 
20* 



4:66 



WILD SCENES IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



tering the remainder like a flock of geese. But six of 
our number were killed and eighteen wounded — among 
the latter Lieutenant Minchin, son of the gallant Col- 
onel, who, perceiving the young man fainting from 
loss of blood, quietly said to him : " Stay behind, my 
son, until I punish these rascals." Their cavalry, five 
hundred strong, was drawn up in a valley at the foot 
of the mountain, evidently intending to fall upon us 
if we were defeated ; but on a platoon of infantry be- 
ing brought against them, they all turned tail and 
disappeared before our soldiers had even a chance to 
empty their muskets. We then continued our march 
through the valley without further molestation, by 
words or acts, from our despicable enemy. 

Although this part of the country showed more 
signs of human life than the portion preceding it, we 
did not encounter a single person on the route until 
we arrived at Yallecito, a prettily-located farm several 
miles beyond Casupo. Our attention was here at- 
tracted to the following inscription in large characters 
upon the lintel of the farm-house — a sentiment which 
should find a place in every homestead in the land : 

DO UNTO OTHEES AS YOU WOULD HAVE OTHERS DO UNTO TOU ; 
AND LET THE WAYWORN TRAYELLER EYER FIND REST AND COM- 
FORT BENEATH THIS HUMBLE ROOF. 

On the strength of this Christian and hospitable 
invitation, our Commander-in-Chief and his staff rode 
into the courtyard of the farm-house, where the own- 
er, Senor Mercedes Cepeda — a singularly appropriate 
name — came to receive us with every manifestation 
of cordiality. All the other houses on the transit were 



PAEZ. 



467 



deserted by the inhabitants, our mendacious enemies 
having spread the report that we came to ravage their 
firesides, with many other accusations of a similar 
character. 

While these infamous slanders were being mali- 
ciously circulated by the abettors of the tyrant, the 
authors were themselves actually perpetrating the 
villanous acts which they had attributed to us among 
the people of the Llanos, who, not receiving prompt 
information of our approach, had fallen a prey to the 
sanguinary hordes of Juan Sotillo before we could 
render them any assistance. Calabozo and Chagua- 
ramas, the two most important towns in the plains, 
particularly aroused Sotillo's wrath to a degree that 
threatened the entire extermination of the whites in 
both places. Several prominent persons were brutally 
murdered, and their bodies horribly mutilated by the 
" Minotaur of Santa Anna." * Of this number were 
the noble brothers Belisarios, of Chaguaramas, whose 
salted heads were sent, along with those of Dr. Pena 
and Miguel Coucin, of Calabozo, by Sotillo, to Mona- 
gas as the most acceptable present to his " Compae 
Tadeo." Previous to this, however, he carried these 
trophies to Calabozo, and halting before the house of 
the bereaved family, ordered the matron Dona Petro- 
na Camacho, Coucin's mother-in-law, and one of the 
most distinguished ladies in the city, to be brought into 
his presence, and in the most insulting and barbarous 
language announced to her the vandalic deed ! And 

* Santa Anna, a village in the Llanos of Barcelona, Sotillo's birth- 
place. 



468 WILD SCENES IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



this monster is still at large, and still perpetrating 
similar acts of barbarity in my country ! 

Convinced of the inutility of prosecuting the cam- 
paign, General Paez, rather than sacrifice his faithful 
companions in a hopeless struggle, despatched on the 
14th two commissioners to General Silva, Command- 
er-in-Chief of the forces opposed to him, proposing a 
termination of hostilities under certain conditions. The 
commissioners returned in the afternoon of the same 
day with an unsatisfactory reply, when our Leader at 
once decided to send his chief of staff, General Cor- 
dero, competently authorized to arrange the basis of a 
capitulation with Silva, to whom he addressed the 
following letter : 

To the Commander of the Forces operating in this Province. 
Sir: 

On my arrival at the seat of Albahacas the 11th 
inst., I learned that your Excellency was at the head 
of the army to oppose my progress. I then resolved 
to invite your Excellency to terminate the civil war 
in a pacific manner ; but before closing my communi- 
cation, I was attacked and obliged to defend myself. 
I entertain to-day the same sentiments that, upon the 
11th, I was about to communicate to you ; they are 
those which, as Commander-in-Chief and as President 
of the Republic, I have always practised. 

I wish to put an end to the present contest with- 
out adding to the calamities which the country al- 
ready so bitterly deplores ; and I believe this can be 
speedily effected if your Excellency adopts the meas- 



PAEZ. 



469 



ures I propose through my chief of staff, General Leon 
de Febres Cordero. 

(Signed,) Paez. 

Head-qtjakters at the Seat of Vallecito, 
August 15, 1849. 

In accordance with the wishes expressed in the 
above communication, General Cordero entered into 
an agreement with Silva, by which the latter engaged 
himself to guarantee the lives, and respect the persons 
of all the officers and soldiers under the immediate or- 
ders of our Commander-in-Chief, who only wished 
permission to quit the country as speedily as possible ; 
the officers retaining their swords, and the rank and 
file to be immediately discharged. Upon these con- 
ditions, and trusting to the assurance given by Silva 
that the terms of this capitulation should be respected 
by those in authority, our brave soldiers resigned 
their arms to the officers appointed by Silva to re- 
ceive them, and the General-in-Chief, accompanied by 
his officers, then rode over to Macapo Abajo, the 
head-quarters of the former. 

On the 16th, we all started for Yalencia, the capi- 
tal of the province Carabobo, so named in honor of 
the battle-field where Paez sealed forever the inde- 
pendence of his country. While upon the road to Va- 
lencia, we had the pleasure of riding through that 
celebrated battle-ground, which circumstance fully 
repaid some of us for all the hardships and privations 
we had thus far endured, the victor himself acting on 
this occasion as our cicerone. We listened with in- 
tense interest to his account of that memorable en- 



470 



WILD SCENES IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



gageraent, as he pointed out to us tlie most notewor- 
thy features of the field. Here the heroic British 
Legion received unmoved, and gallantly repelled, the 
successive charges with the bayonet, and the raking 
fire of the whole Spanish infantry. There the famous 
Guardia de Honor — Paez' body-guard — swept like 
the thundering tornado over the plain, spreading ter- 
ror and destruction among the enemy's cavalry. 
Further beyond, " the bravest of the brave," General 
Cedeilo, and the fiery young commander, Ambrosio 
Plaza, fell in their eagerness to share with Paez the 
honors of the day, the skilful and rapid manoeuvring 
of his division having secured the triumph of the re- 
publican arms ere the respective commands of the 
fallen heroes could participate in the battle. Then 
the conqueror, " his brows bound with victorious 
wreaths," was hailed with the wildest, most enthusi- 
astic acclamations of the multitude : the respectful 
homage of his brother soldiers was his. Then how 
almost overwhelming the adulation lavished upon him 
from every side ! How great the contrast now ! 
Over that same field where he had achieved the free- 
dom of his country, he now passed unarmed and a 
prisoner, in the hands of those countrymen, whom, 
having delivered from vassalage, he had now striven 
to save from tyrannical oppression, and so sacrificed 
himself. 

Midway between Carabobo and the capital, Zamo- 
ra's dastardly mob, that would not face our bayonets at 
Casupo, was the first to assail us, now that we had been 
deprived — contrary to the agreement with Silva — of 
our swords. The utmost efforts on the part of the es- 



PAEZ. 



471 



cort furnished by the General for our preservation were 
required to prevent a wholesale butchery of our par- 
ty. As we approached Valencia, the mob, instigated 
by the Governor, Joaquin Herrera, became more and 
more threatening, while a Captain Perez, an assassin 
in the employ of that functionary, and doubtless com- 
missioned by him to commence the bloody fray, de- 
liberately rode into the midst of our party, blunder- 
buss in hand. Selecting Colonel Celis for his first 
victim, he endeavored to shoot him, but his blunder- 
buss fortunately missed fire. Various other attempts 
to murder us were made by the desperadoes ; but, 
thanks to the resolute stand taken by the commander 
of the escort, we were enabled to reach Valencia in 
safety. 

Foiled in this, the Governor now resorted to other 
no less criminal plans for our extermination. No 
sooner were we within the precincts of the plaza, than 
the vandals of Zamora surrounded us, and we should 
doubtless have been sacrificed, but for the earnest re- 
monstrances of General Silva, who was in honor 
bound to protect us. Herrera then ordered us to dis- 
mount, and notwithstanding he had given his consent 
that the ladies of Valencia might prepare comfortable 
quarters for all, marched us into that filthy hole, the 
city prison. There he crowded us nearly to suffoca- 
tion into a small room swarming with vermin, while 
most of our effects, together with the furniture of the 
house prepared for our reception, became the spoil of 
his mercenary dependents. The next day our re- 
spected Leader and other prominent officers were load- 



472 



WILD SCENES IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



ed with irons, while our soldiers were distributed 
among the plantations of the Government officials. 

Not satisfied with the ignominious treatment he 
gave us, Herrera concocted with Zamora, who became 
our jailer on this occasion, the plan of confining our 
Leader alone — though then suffering from illness — in 
a damp and ruinous apartment, open to the rains and 
dews of night. I entreated permission to accompany 
him, and although Zamora at first objected, Herrera 
finally consented, and I was allowed to attend my aged 
father. The rest of our companions were sent, some 
to fill the crumbling vaults of the fortifications at La 
Guaira, others to share the felons' quarters in the 
common jail of Caracas. 

After being subjected for many days to this bar- 
barous treatment, the order came from Monagas to 
send us also to the capital, under the escort of our 
epauletted jailer, who took particular pains, on the 
way thither, to torment us in every conceivable man- 
ner ; sometimes denying us the comfort of a quiet rest 
at night ; at other times inciting the populace, but 
more especially the slaves of the plantations on the 
route, against the venerable captive. On one occa- 
sion Zamora called out the whole gang of negroes from 
an estate near Maracay, and taking a young one from 
the arms of its mother, commenced caressing it, to 
flatter the vanity of the blacks, whom he addressed in 
the following words : " Here, boys, comes the Lord 
and Master who has kept you in bondage all these 
years, while we Liberates have been striving to free 
you ; henceforth you will be at liberty to do just as 
you please." After this harangue, it is almost super- 



PAEZ. 



473 



fluous to add we were at the mercy of the frantic 
blacks, who, armed with stones and cutlasses, would 
have torn us to pieces, but for the officers of the es- 
cort, who hurried us out of reach. 

It is in this manner that the demagogues of Vene- 
zuela — and, indeed, of the whole of South America, I 
may add, with few exceptions — seeking only their 
own aggrandizement, have brought that fine region 
to the verge of barbarism. Not only have they anni- 
hilated the conservative element which alone gave 
them guarantees, but placed a most terrible weapon 
— such as universal suffrage — in the hands of a caste 
naturally antagonistic to the white race, and by far 
the more prolific of the two. The fearful revolution 
which has been raging in Venezuela for the last three 
years — although ostensibly for political ascendency — 
is nothing but the " irrepressible conflict" brought 
by these social renegades, and which, if not speedily 
neutralized by a well-sustained stream of immigration, 
will ultimately sweep away the remnants of civiliza- 
tion from my unhappy country. Notwithstanding 
that the constitution of the republic, framed after that 
of the United States, was most liberal in all respects, 
the demagogues calling themselves the liberal party, 
in order to gain proselytes, commenced by demanding, 
on behalf of the colored races, privileges and fran- 
chises which they are incapable of appreciating. I 
have shown elsewhere how nearly they accomplished 
their object with the overthrow of the conservative 
element and institutions of the country. The turmoil 
and confusion of that revolt brought a bolder and 
more unscrupulous political aspirant to fill the Presi- 



474 



WILD SCENES IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



dential chair, which a worthy magistrate, General 
Soublette, had occupied with honor, but unfortunately 
not with that firmness required at this critical period 
of our political organization. His successor, though 
possessing that quality in a high degree, with almost 
unparalleled ingratitude, turned it against the party 
that had raised him to power, appealing for support 
to the blacks, he being himself a white man. When, 
after a time, he discovered his influence nearly gone, 
and the power of his family tottering under the imbe- 
cile administration of his brother Jose Gregorio, he 
sanctioned the decree of emancipation enacted by the 
latter, in order to gain over the colored population, 
and thus make soldiers of the liberated slaves. He 
succeeded in this, but at what cost ! at the expense 
of the agricultural interests of the country, and, more 
especially, of the domestic comfort of the whole com- 
munity ; for not only did the slaves, but the free 
blacks also, refuse to work for the whites, whom they 
insulted in all the public thoroughfares, even threat- 
ening their lives. Fearing to be utterly exterminated 
by them, the whites are now striving to save them- 
selves from the curse thus brought upon them. In no 
instance has the act of these political disorganizes 
been that of actual philanthropy toward the " down- 
trodden and oppressed African ; " their sole aim was 
to court the favor, and thus enlist the services of a 
race numerically stronger than their own. 

It was doubtless the conviction that such would 
finally be the calamitous state of the countries he 
helped to liberate, that wrung from the great Bolivar 
this awful prophecy, with regard to the Southern con- 



PAEZ. 



475 



tinent of the New "World : " America is ungovern- 
able ; those who have served her revolution have 
ploughed in the sea. These countries will inevitably 
fall into the hands of the unrestrained multitude, to 
become then the prey of petty tyrants of all grades 
and races; when, overpowered by ferocity and bar- 
barism, foreign nations will not even deign to con- 
quer us. Were it possible to return a portion of the 
earth to primitive chaos, this would be the last period 
of America." * 

Such seems to have been also the opinion of Dr. 
Poeppig, a learned German naturalist, who visited 
those countries about that time ; and who, in his ac- 
count of Chili, has the following observations : 

" No country in America enjoys to such a degree 
as Chili the advantages which a state derives from 
a homogeneous population and the absence of castes. 
If this young republic rose more speedily than any 
of the others from the anarchy of the revolutionary 
struggle, and has attained a high degree of civiliza- 
tion and order, with a rapidity of which there is no 
example in this continent, it is chiefly indebted for 
those advantages to the circumstance that there are 
extremely few people of color among its citizens. 
Those various transitions of one race into the other 
are here unknown, which strangers find it so difficult 

* La America es ingobernablc : los que han servido a la revolucion 
han arado en el mar : lo mejor que puede hacerse en America es emigrar. 
Estos paises caeran infaliblemente enmanos de la multitud desenfrenada 
para pasar despues a tiranuelos de todos colores y razas ; y estinguidos por 
la feroeidad y la barbaric, los estrangeros ni se dignaran conquistarnos. 
Si fuera posible que una parte del mundo volviesc al caos primitivo, ese 
seria el ultimo periodo de la America. 



476 WILD SCENES IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



to distinguish, and which, in countries like Brazil, 
must lead, sooner or later, to a dreadful war of exter- 
mination, and in Peru and Colombia will defer to a 
period indefinitely remote the establishment of gen- 
eral civilization. * * * If it is a great evil for a 
state to have two very different races of men for its 
citizens, the disorder becomes general, and the most 
dangerous collisions ensue, when, by the unavoidable 
mixture, races arise which belong to neither party, 
and in general inherit all the vices of their parents, 
but very rarely any of their virtues. If the popula- 
tion of Peru consisted of only whites and Indians, the 
situation of the country would be less hopeless than 
it must now appear to every calm observer. Destined 
as they seem by Nature herself, to exist on the earth 
as a race, for a limited period only, the Indians, both 
on the north and south of this vast continent, in spite 
of all the measures which humanity dictates, are be- 
coming extinct with equal rapidity, and in a few cen- 
turies will leave to the whites the undisputed posses- 
sion -of the country. With the negroes the case is 
different ; they have found in America a country 
which is even more congenial to their nature than the 
land of their origin, so that their numbers are almost 
everywhere increasing, in a manner calculated to ex- 
cite the most serious alarm. In the same proportion 
as they multiply, and the white population is no 
longer recruited by frequent supplies from the Span- 
ish peninsula, the people of color likewise become 
more numerous. Hated by the dark mother, distrust- 
ed by the white father, they look on the former with 
contempt, on the latter with an aversion, which cir- 



PAEZ. 



477 



cumstances only suppress, but which is insuperable, 
as it is founded on a high degree of innate pride. All 
measures suggested by experience and policy, if not 
to amalgamate the heterogeneous elements of the pop- 
ulation, yet to order them so that they might subsist 
together without collision, and contribute in common 
to the preservation of the machine of the state, have 
proved fruitless. * * * The late revolutions have 
made no change in this respect. The hostility, the 
hatred, of the many colored classes will continue a 
constant check to the advancement of the state, full 
of danger to the prosperity of the individual citizens, 
and perhaps the ground of the extinction of entire 
nations. The fate which must sooner or later befall 
the greater part of tropical America wdiich is filled 
with negro slaves, which will deluge the fairest 
provinces of Brazil with blood, and convert them 
into a desert, where the civilized white man will 
never again be able to establish himself, may not 
indeed afflict Peru and Colombia to the same extent ; 
but these countries will always suffer from the evils 
resulting from the presence of an alien race. If such 
a country as the United States feels itself checked 
and impeded by its proportionably less predominant 
black population ; and if there, where the wisdom 
and power of the Government are supported by public 
spirit, remedial measures are sought in vain ; how 
much greater must be the evil in countries like Peru, 
where the supine character of the whites favors in- 
cessant revolutions, where the temporary rulers are 
not distinguished either for prudence or real patriot- 
ism, and the infinitely rude negro possesses only 



478 



WILD SCENES IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



brutal strength, which makes him doubly dangerous 
in such countries, where morality is at so low an ebb ? 
He and his half-descendant, the mulatto, joined the 
white Peruvian, to expel the Spaniard, but would 
soon turn against their former allies, were they not 
at present kept back by want of moral energy and 
education. But the negro and the man of color, far 
more energetic than the white Creole, will in time 
acquire knowledge, and a way of thinking that will 
place them on a level with the whites, who do not 
advance in the same proportion, so as to maintain 
their superiority." * 

* Poepig's Travels in Chili, Peru, &c. 



CHAPTER XXXIII. 



THE EXILE. 

" Farewell to the land where the gloom of my glory 
Arose and overshadowed the earth with her name. 
She abandons me now — but the page of her story. 

The brightest or blackest, is filled with my fame. 
* * * * When liberty rallies 
Once more in thy regions, remember me then." 

Byron, Napoleon's Farewell. 

The reception prepared for us at the capital, by 
the rulers of the republic, was in keeping with the 
plan adopted by them from the beginning to get rid 
of their captive, through a popular tumult, as the best 
way to cover their own wickedness. Some hours 
before we approached Caracas, Zamora sent ahead 
his emissaries to apprise the 'people — as he and his 
associates were wont to call the rabble — of our com- 
ing. When within the city limits, he made straight 
for the plaza, the rendezvous of all the loafers and 
negro porters of the town, who, notwithstanding the 
training they had received beforehand, did not dare 
to assail the " Illustrious Citizen," * except with 

* Illustrious Citizen. An honorary title conferred on General Paez 
by a special act of Congress. . 



480 



WILD SCENES IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



empty words and angry faces. It was, however, 
gratifying not to observe amidst the crowd a single 
white person on this occasion. 

From the plaza to the filthy jail — the mansion 
prepared for the " Father of his Country " — was but 
a short distance ; and I was glad when at length the 
gates of that ominous abode were opened to receive 
us, and closed upon the vociferous crowd outside. 
The scene of replacing the heavy irons — taken off the 
feet of our Leader to permit him to ride on horse- 
back — was again gone through, and father and son 
were plunged into a dark hole, with scarcely any air 
to breathe. The former, however, bore all these 
indignities with the calm resignation which never 
abandoned him under the most trying circumstances ; 
while the latter, taking courage from the example set 
him by his parent, wrote upon the walls of his prison 
cell the following lines of Horace : 

Justum et tenacem propositi virum 
Non civium ardor prava jubentiurn, 

!Non vultus instantis tyranni, 

Mente quatit solida ; neque auster, 
Dux inquieti turbidus Adrige, 
Nee fulminantis magna Jovis maims; 

Sic fractals illabatur orbis, 

Impavidum ferient ruinee. 

TRANSLATION. 

The man, in conscious virtue bold, 
Who dares his secret purpose hold, 
Unshaken hears the crowd's tumultuous cries, 
And the impetuous tyrant's angry brow defies. 



THE EXILE. 



4:81 



Let the wild winds, that rule the seas 
Tempestuous, all their horrors raise ; 
Let Jove's dread arm with thunders rend the spheres, 
Beneath the crush of worlds undaunted he appears. 

Fearing for the security of his prisoner in the 
capital, Monagas resolved, after a while, to confine 
General Paez alone in the castle of San Antonio, at 
Cumana. A special decree was issued at the same 
time, banishing me for ten years, thus separating me, 
perhaps forever, from the object of my special solici- 
tude. I immediately addressed the so-called Presi- 
dent of Venezuela the following petition, not doubting 
for a moment that my just request would be granted 
forthwith : 

" The undersigned, at present confined in the 
prison of this city, represents to your Excellency : 
That an order having been issued by the Secretary 
of State, for his immediate expulsion from the Terri- 
tory of Venezuela, the execution of said order would 
deprive his father of what little aid and comfort he 
can afford him. 

" The undersigned therefore petitions your Ex- 
cellency to suspend the execution of said order, until 
the enactment pending against his father be carried 
into effect ; and to direct that the undersigned be 
allowed to remain near his person, wherever he may 
be sent, and continue rendering him the little assist- 
ance in his power. 

" Eamon Paez. 

" Caracas, Sept. I5th y 1849. 
u To His Excellency the President of Venezuela." 
21 



482 



WILD SCENES IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



The reply to this appeal was an order to the jailer 
for the immediate separation from my father, pending 
the arrangements in progress for his removal to 
Cumana, and to confine me within the premises al- 
lotted to common criminals. Thus I found myself 
again in the felon's den, surrounded by beasts of a 
worse description than those I had encountered in 
the wilds of my native country. However, I had 
then the consolation of receiving visitors — a privilege 
denied my father with few exceptions. To the fair 
ladies of Caracas in particular, I am indebted for 
many hours of enjoyment in their charming society. 
Regardless of the horrors peculiar to that kennel of 
depravity, and scorning the taunts and sneers of a 
brutal soldiery, the gentle women of the capital 
crowded my prison cell from early morning until 
noon, bringing with them the choicest preserves, and 
still sweeter bouquets arranged by their own hands. 
Words are inadequate to express my gratitude for the 
delicate tokens of regard with which my country- 
women surrounded me in my affliction. They con- 
tributed to lighten the weight of the heavy irons with 
which my feet were again loaded, in revenge — as I 
supposed — for these delicate tokens of sympathy. 

As to my honored father, he was soon after carried 
off to Cumana, and thrown into the suffocating dun- 
geons of the fort, where he was treated with the ut- 
most rigor. 

The horrors of his captivity have been set forth 
in the following protest,* addressed by him to his 

* The document — printed in letters of gold on crimson velvet — was 



THE EXILE. 



483 



savage tormentor, and which now forms the brightest 
page of his eventful life. 

" To His Excellency General Jose Tadeo Monagas, Chief of the present 
Administration of the Republic : 

" Sm : — Imprisoned in this fortress, and oppressed 
by the executors of your most severe orders, I am, 
notwithstanding, still the same General-in-Chief of the 
armies of Colombia and Yenezuela, and still the same 
who received from the Congress of our country, as 
recompense for his services, the title of Illustrious 
Citizen. 

" My duty toward my country — the calls of the 
people — compelled me to take up arms in February, 
1848. It was then my opinion, as it is now, that 
the assassination of the representatives of the people, 
perpetrated on the 24th of January, of that year, 
was unjustifiable. My political creed is set forth in 
the documents which I published since that period. 

" Persuaded that I have done all that my public 
duties required, and desirous of putting an end to the 
war which was devastating the country, I approved the 
compact of the 15th of last August, a compact entered 
into, agreeably to my instructions, between the Chief 
of my General Staff and General Jose Laurencio Silva, 
the Chief of your army. What has since transpired 
you well know. You disapproved that compact 
which caused me to lay down my arms in perfect 
confidence ; you seized upon the person of myself 
and of my companions in arms ; and when we were 

extensively circulated throughout the republic, and handsomely framed 
to match the " Declaration of Independence." 



484 



WILD SCENES IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



found unarmed, the most horrible acts of revenge 
were perpetrated upon us. Let our entry into Va- 
lencia, on the afternoon of the 18th of August, bear 
eloquent testimony of my assertion. The Governor, 
Joaquin Herrera, glutted in his work of revenge, 
crowned it by putting heavy irons upon me and 
several of my companions. I remember those days of 
horror with a noble pride. The passions of the times 
cannot deprive me of the consideration which my ser- 
vices to the republic have deserved. I have trodden, 
and still continue to tread, the path travelled by emi- 
nent men, whom an impartial and enlightened world 
acknowledges as the most zealous defenders of the 
rights of humanity ; as the real friends of that justice 
and morality which ought to preside over the desti- 
nies of nations ; as the most perfect friends of the 
people, for whose welfare every good government 
should labor incessantly. 

" The compact of the 15th of August, signed at 
Macapo-Abajo or Monagas, has been rejected by you. 
This, however, cannot be sufficient to quiet your 
conscience. The fact is before an enlightened world. 
At present I can only protest, as I do protest, in 
the most unqualified manner, against the violation of 
that compact. 

" I have been led from prison to prison, until at last 
I am brought to this fortress, where it seems I am to 
drain the cup of my sufferings. I hope, however, 
that Divine Providence will not deprive me of the 
strength with which I have been favored up to this 
time, to enable me to resist so many outrages. 

" Confined to a very narrow apartment, without 



THE EXILE. 



485 



being allowed the least exercise — with a sentinel 
always in sight — with an officer always by my side 
at the hours of taking food — denied the privilege of 
communicating with my family (for I am not per- 
mitted to write nor to receive letters from them) — de- 
prived finally of the comforts which the visits of 
some of my fellow citizens offered me, it seems that 
the termination of my life is eagerly sought. 

" Humanity and civilization must raise their pow- 
erful voices against such cruel treatment. Without 
being a prisoner of war, I find myself imprisoned. I 
submit to force, and I know well what may be my 
fate ; but I ought not to pass over, in silence, acts 
which degrade and vilify my country. I ought to 
protest, and do protest, against such extraordinary 
and grievous outrages. 

" After having, by a decree, remitted the judicial 
trial to which you supposed I was liable, by what 
right am I detained a prisoner and ill-treated, as I am ? 
Though my expulsion has been decreed, I am detained 
with most glaring injustice — an injustice which is 
heightened by the means employed to keep me con- 
fined, condemned to the horrid punishment of silence 
and solitude. Is, perchance, the safe custody of one 
man incompatible with what is due to the dignity 
of man ? Can I not be considered safely secured, 
without being tormented ? Read, sir, the pages of 
history, and you will learn how persons of my char- 
acter have been treated in similar cases. 

" I have, sir, no favor to ask of you, no grace to 
implore. My sole object, I have already said, is to 
protest against the horrors that I am made to endure. 



486 



WILD SCENES IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



You may continue to act as may seem best to yon ; 
but I hope by this protest to furnish one more proof 
of how much I esteem my personal dignity, and of 
my readiness to discharge the duties which I owe to 
the republic over whose destinies I have presided. 

" Jose A. Paez. 

" Cumandy in the Fortress of San Antonio, 5th February, 1850." 

The anger of the Tyrant on reading this protest 
may be easily imagined. From that moment the 
most stringent measures were taken to deprive his 
victim of life also, by a barbarous and slow process. 
The only door and the simple window of " his narrow 
apartment " were closed night and day ; and this in 
the ardent climate of Cumana, where the thermometer 
is seldom below 90°. So oppressed was he at times 
by the closeness of his cell, that he had to lie down 
near the sill of the door, to inhale what little fresh 
air came through. How different the usage expe- 
rienced by Monagas at the hands of General Paez, 
when the latter had him in his power — Monagas 
having twice before rebelled against the fundamen- 
tal law of the republic ! On both occasions, Paez 
not only pardoned him, but reinstated the unruly 
chieftain in his rank and position in the army ; even 
exerting his influence, at a later period, in securing 
his elevation to the Presidency, which had been ten- 
dered to and declined by Paez. 

At length his powerful constitution gave way 
under this iniquitous treatment, and a rush of blood 
to the head ensued, which would doubtless have ter- 
minated fatally, but for the prompt assistance of two 



THE EXILE. 



487 



skilful physicians in the place. The people of 
Cumana, aroused to a sense of duty and just indigna- 
tion, resolved to put a stop to this disgraceful perse- 
cution. Men, women, and children rebelled against 
the minions of the despot, threatening the garrison 
with destruction, if their victim was not allowed to 
embark for foreign parts. Congress, then assembled 
at Caracas — although exclusively devoted to the 
interest of Monagas — also urged the matter, and the 
latter was compelled to issue an order to that effect, 
detailing the steamer Libertador for that purpose. 
Still, when the vessel arrived at Cumana short of 
fuel — as was purposely designed by the Govern- 
ment — and the captain demanded it from the author- 
ities there, he was referred to the Governor of Barce- 
lona. Thither the steamer went to secure it ; but, 
although there was abundance of coal at the place, 
the brother of Monagas, military commander of the 
province, under frivolous excuses prevented its ship- 
ment. Suspecting something wrong, the captain, 
who, although in the service of the Tyrant, was a 
conscientious individual, immediately returned to 
Cumana, and laying the case before the people, 
prompt measures were taken to enable the steamer 
to proceed on her voyage without delay. Every 
thing combustible was readily contributed by the 
generous inhabitants, who gave up, not only the ship 
timber in the harbor, but even the doors and windows 
of their houses. It was rumored at the time, that a 
base plot to drown the General had been concocted 
between Monagas and an old French pirate, Captain 
Bernard, who had command of a sailing war-vessel ; a 



488 



WILD SCENES IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



suspicion which was strengthened, shortly after the 
departure of the steamer, by the arrival of said in- 
dividual at Cumana, with orders to take the captive 
on board his vessel ; but it was too late. 

On the 24th of May, 1850, " the Martyr of San 
Antonio" left his prison, followed by an immense 
concourse of people, who accompanied him in a sort 
of triumphal procession to the steamer Libertador, 
which conveyed him afterward to St. Thomas. 
There I joined my father in time to participate in 
the hospitalities extended to him by the liberal in- 
habitants of that wealthy island ; and a vessel offer- 
ing soon after for Philadelphia, we took our depart- 
ure for 

" The land of the free and the home of the brave ; " 

where we arrived safely on the 26th of July, after 
a pleasant voyage of eleven days. The city of 
" brotherly love," through her Common Council, 
hastened to offer the Yenezuelan exile the freedom of 
her soil ; but New York having beforehand sent a 
commission of gentlemen to await his arrival and 
tender him a public reception, we left the next day 
for the Empire City, stopping at Staten Island until 
the 2d of August, the day fixed for the reception. 

Here, patient reader, I would like to entertain you 
with a full description of the splendid reception and 
boundless hospitalities tendered to our Leader by the 
people of the United States, and more especially of 
that by the city of New York, the place which he had 
chosen for his future residence ; but I fear I have 
already taxed your time and patience too much with 



THE EXILE. 



489 



the recital of our own troubles, while an account of 
that ovation and the subsequent manifestations of sym- 
pathy from the people of the Great Republic would — 
to do it full justice — require a separate volume. Here 
we found at length ample repose and security, " under 
the shade" — to use our Leader's quaint phrase — " of 
the northern pines," and enjoyed for ten years every 
social and political privilege, under a free and en- 
lightened government, until subsequent changes in 
the affairs of Venezuela recalled us from exile and 
forced our Leader to give up his humble abode in 
New York for the agitated soil of South America. 

Being gone on a visit to Central America, I had 
almost forgotten Monagas and his arbitrary rule, when 
I read one day in the " New York Herald," away 
amidst the wilds of Costa Rica, that a great revolu- 
tion had occurred in Venezuela, and that Monagas was 
besieged in his own house in Caracas. On my return 
to the United States, I was gratified to find in New 
York a number of Commissioners despatched by the 
Provisional Government of Yenezuela, to invite Gen- 
eral Paez back to his liberated country, and to express 
to him the unanimous wish of the people for his imme- 
diate return ; a desire which he hastened to comply 
with, but which nearly cost him his life. The military 
authorities of New York having tendered him a 
grand review of all their corps, previous to his 
departure, he was riding toward the parade grounds, 
in company with Governor King and a numerous 
staff, when his horse fell three times under him on the 
slippery pavement of Broadway, the animal's weight 
crushing his foot in the most frightful manner ; and 
21* 



490 



WILD SCENES IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



although he was immediately surrounded with the 
best surgical skill in the city, his life was despaired 
of for a time, unless his powerful constitution should 
come to his rescue, which happily took place. His 
presence in Venezuela being of the utmost importance 
at the time, he was removed, while still suffering 
from his severe accident, to one of the steamers placed 
at his disposal by the Government of the United 
States — a compliment rarely paid to foreigners, and 
consequently highly appreciated by us all. A bril- 
liant retinue, composed principally of the Yenezuelan 
Commissioners, His Honor the Mayor of New York, 
(Daniel F. Tieman Esq.,) and members of the Com- 
mon Council, with delegations from the militia of the 
city and county of New York, accompanied the am- 
bulance in which he was conveyed, and escorted by 
a detachment of the City Horse Guards, on board 
one of the steamers. 

The General, with the Commissioners, his private 
secretary, and several other persons of his retinue, 
and the lamented Colonel Sandford, son of the Major- 
General commanding the militia of the city, em- 
barked on board the Wyandotte ; the rest of the 
suite, including my friend E. L. Molineux, Esq., of New 
York, myself and brother, on board the Mohawk ; and 
on the 25th of November, 1858, we bade adieu to the 
metropolis of the New "World, amid the salvos of 
artillery, and good wishes of the kind-hearted inhabi- 
tants. May peace and prosperity ever be with them ! 

I wish, for the sake of the nation's credit, that 
my narrative could end here, instead of being com- 
pelled to record, further on, the circumstances of our 



THE EXILE. 



491 



second exodus from the country which so earnestly 
solicited the recall of General Paez from exile. But 
let us not anticipate unpleasant events ; they will 
be recounted in their place. The city of Cumana, 
which so nobly came to his rescue in the hour of his 
peril, first engaged our Leader's attention, as the most 
entitled to receive his warm acknowledgments of 
gratitude for the bold stand she took against his cruel 
tormentors. Thither the steamers directed their course 
at his special request ; but a dense fog prevailing at 
the time of leaving the harbor, we lost sight of each 
other, until our arrival at Cumana — a circumstance 
we of the Mohawk lamented exceedingly, on account 
of the precarious condition of our Leader's health. 
We also were too late to participate in his reception 
by the generous Cumanese ; our steamer — owing to 
some derangement in her machinery — arriving in 
port a week after. 

The limits of this chapter do not permit lengthy 
descriptions of the several ovations and enthusiastic 
receptions which everywhere greeted the Martyr of 
San Antonio on his return from exile : they were as 
spontaneous and cordial, to all appearances, as the 
conduct of the provisional authorities was cold 
and reserved toward the General. The " miserable 
Castro," — chief of the Provisional Government — with 
an eye on the chair of state left vacant by the down- 
fall of Mouagas, could not support these public mani- 
festations of respect paid to one regarded by him as 
a dangerous rival, and against whom he had conspired 
all his life : therefore he lost now no opportunity to 
annoy him in every possible manner, with the object 



492 



WILD SCENES IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



of compelling him to abandon the country — which 
he did, later, of his own accord ; unfortunately not 
soon enough to spare us the affliction occasioned by the 
death of our estimable guest, Colonel Sandford, who, 
notwithstanding the assiduous efforts of the whole 
community to save his life, fell a victim at Valencia 
to that most fearful pestilence of the equinoctial 
regions, the vomito. Our Leader's grief was extreme 
on this occasion, appreciating, as we all did, the 
motives which prompted that amiable young officer 
to accompany him on his return home. 

When sufficiently recovered from his late accident 
to bear the fatigues of a reception at the capital, the 
General took his departure for Caracas, glad to quit 
the scene of his young friend's lamentable demise. 
But the obnoxious Castro had preceded him there 
already with the train of Government ; and although 
he was compelled by the force of public opinion to 
take a part in the reception, the overwhelming dis- 
play of popular favor which characterized that ova- 
tion, only contributed to make him more envious, 
and, if possible, more ungracious toward the object 
of his rancor. To show my readers to what extent 
these petty jealousies are often carried, I will state 
that, when applied to for permission to employ the 
military bands of music in the procession, Castro 
refused flatly, excusing himself with averring that 
this was altogether a civil affair. The same bands 
were soon after employed, by Castro's orders, at the 
release of some negro politicians confined in the jail 
of Caracas by the civil authorities. Here again the 
black star of the republic was permitted — for political 



THE EXILE. 



493 



reasons — to cast its lurid glimmer over the already 
clouded atmosphere enveloping the capital. The 
adherents of Monagas, profiting by the dissensions 
brought about by Castro among the contending 
factions, commenced to muster their forces in various 
parts of the country ; and although they were kept 
at bay for a time, it was plain enough that, unless 
vigorous measures were adopted for their extermina- 
tion, they would eventually become a serious annoy- 
ance to the Government. 

Compelled by circumstances to be a mere spec- 
tator in the political farce of changing a tyrannical 
ruler for an imbecile one, and in danger at any 
moment of being assailed by the latter, General Paez 
could no longer be of any service to the country that 
recalled him from exile : he therefore solicited and 
obtained his passport for the United States, an- 
nouncing his immediate departure to the people 
through a farewell address ending with this earnest 
appeal to their patriotism : 

" Fellow-citizens ! Listen once more to the prayer 
of my heart : continue no longer the course of your 
destruction : ravage not the beautiful country which 
Providence has granted you : let your rulers be slaves 
to the Constitution and laws of the republic : let the 
people make a wise exercise of their precious rights : 
let those bloody revolutions, the ignominy of Spanish 
America, forever cease on our soil. This is all you 
require to reappear before the world as a wise and 
prosperous people : such would be the greatest recom- 
pense you could accord me — the only one I would 



494 



WILD SCENES IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



exact from you in return for the new expatriation I 
impose upon myself." 

But instead of permitting him to depart in peace, 
the provisional despot they had placed at the head 
of the Government, issued an order to arrest him at 
La Guaira before he should embark. No one was 
foolhardy enough, however, to execute it, and he 
departed for the United States on the anniversary 
of her independence. Before the month was over, 
the framer of that order found himself deposed and a 
prisoner in the Government palace. His successor, Vice- 
President Tovar, although a man of higher intellect 
and position in society, with the characteristic selfish- 
ness that marks the policy of most rulers in South 
America, studiously deferred recalling General Paez 
until after the regular elections, that placed him in 
the presidency, contenting himself in the meantime 
with addressing the General a friendly letter, which 
the latter scarcely regarded in the light of a formal 
invitation to return. It was probably in allusion to this 
document that " El Constitucional " of Caracas — the 
organ of the conservative element in Venezuela — issued 
the following complimentary notice, which I give here 
in full, as it embodies the main facts of our Leader's 
public career : 

" With grateful satisfaction we have learned that 
His Excellency the Yice-President of the Republic 
has written to our Washington, calling him to the 
bosom of that country which he liberated with his 
sword, elevating her to the rank of a nation — giving 
her a constitution and laws — creating for her a 
treasure, and acquiring for her a credit, both at home 



THE EXILE. 



495 



and abroad, which placed her in the van of the South 
American republics. How many noble sensations, 
how many glorious recollections, and how many 
debts of national gratitude crowd on the imagination 
on hearing the name of Paez, the living monument 
of Venezuelan glory ! 

" The preservation of Paez is one of those great gifts 
for which Venezuela is indebted to God, who so visibly 
protects her. Few nations, very few, behold in one 
man alone the embodiment of their history. 

" Paez the young man, consecrated all the fires of 
his youth to the struggle for his country's independ- 
ence. From a simple soldier on the borders of the 
Arauca, he went from victory to victory, and from 
rank to rank, to the plains of Carabobo. There, 
amid the smoke of battle, he received from Bolivar 
the highest military grade to which that splendid and 
decisive triumph entitled him. 

" Paez the General, at the age of reflection, full of 
prestige and glory, employed all his advantages in 
nationalizing his country. From a Bogotan province 
or colony, he raised her to the rank of a nation. He 
freed her from military despotism, gave her a free 
constitution, a civil government, wise laws, and sub- 
dued the Monagas, the only persons who refused 
obedience. 

" Paez the President, gave to his military compan- 
ions an example of respectful submission to the laws. 
Devoted to the interests of his country, he gave her 
institutions of intellectual and moral progress, created 
for her a revenue, stimulated her industry and com- 
merce, acquired credit for her at home and abroad, 



496 WILD SCENES IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



and raised her to the first rank among the South 
American republics. 

" Paez, the first civil and military character of his 
country, descended from the presidential chair that 
he might occupy himself as a simple citizen, and re- 
tired to a country life. The Monagas rose against 
that proof of civil power. Paez abandoned his flocks, 
and seized once more his sword to repress that attempt. 
The Monagas being conquered, he pardoned them, 
and replaced in the presidential chair the wise citizen 
whom the nation had chosen. This act procured for 
Paez the golden sword and the title of Illustrious 
Citizen, which the Congress of his country bestowed 
upon him. 

" Paez, a second time President, gave an impetus 
to the advancement of Yenezuela, and delivered her 
to his successor, peaceful, prosperous, and admired by 
all nations, all her pledges observed, and a treasury 
overflowing with millions of surplus. "When, when 
shall we see her again in so happy a condition ? So 
many services earned for him the admiration of all 
nations, and the honors and decorations of the kings 
of England, France, and Sweden.* 

* William the Fourth of England, sent to General Paez, in 1837, a 
magnificent sword, on which were inscribed the following words : — " The 
gift of King William the Fourth to General Paez, as a mark of esteem 
for his character, and for the disinterested patriotism which has distin- 
guished his gallant and victorious career. 1837." 

The gift was presented by the British Minister in Venezuela, Sir 
Robert Ker Porter, accompanied by an official note expressive of the 
high opinion entertained by his sovereign for the character and services 
of General Paez. 

In 1843, the Citizen King of the French, Louis Philippe, named Gen- 



THE EXILE. 



497 



" Paez, a second time in the retirement of private 
life, was astounded at the horrible announcement that 
Monagas had murdered the representatives of his 
country in the very sanctuary of the legislative 
power. Notwithstanding the weight of years, he did 
not hesitate to take up arms in order to chastise that 
unheard-of crime. Fortune was not with him in that 
holy cause. Reduced to the miseries of a dungeon 
in the castle of San Antonio, and loaded with chains, 
he did not cease, nevertheless, to protest daily against 
the atrocity of the crime, in which the people, in the 
persons of their representatives, were assassinated, and 
in which, by violating the immunity of the national 
representation, the basis of the republican system was 
threatened. 

" Paez, at liberty, was hailed by enlightened people 
as a martyr of civilization and public freedom, and 
received in the midst of the apotheosis prepared for 
him by the republic of Washington. In the bosom 
of the freest people on earth he received great honors 
and distinguished considerations, when, on the fall 
of his country's tyrant, whom a simultaneous effort 
of the people had driven from his blood-stained seat, 
he was called by the supreme power, and received 
with transports of enthusiasm in the arms of all his 

eral Paez " Grand Officer of the Legion of Honor," and sent him the 
cross and cordon, the insignia appertaining to that high rank in the Le- 
gion. 

In 1845, Oscar the First, King of Sweden and Norway, the son of 
the celebrated Marshal Bernadotte, sent to General Paez the grand cross 
and insignia of the Military Order of the Sword, with a communication 
couched in terms expressive of his high regard and esteem for the Gen- 
eral. 



498 



WILD SCENES IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



fellow-citizens, without distinction of party, sex, or 
age. 

" Paez, in Caracas, had no time to receive the 
demonstrations of gratitude and admiration which 
the people in mass, and families and citizens in pri- 
vate, lavished upon him. The heroic Cum ana, whose 
resolution to save him from captivity gave him an 
exile's liberty, was the first which begged the privi- 
lege of bestowing, like a free people, honors on him, 
whom, a captive, she had before liberated. So many 
national kindnesses drew upon him the envy of 
Castro, who aspired to the presidency, and saw in all 
these manifestations a rival that made him tremble ; 
the more so, since that person's disregard for every 
law was notorious. 

" Paez, persecuted by the miserable Castro, looked 
upon this matter with the scorn which a venomous 
reptile causes in a giant ; but, doubtless, the idea of 
seeing friends, to whose loyalty he would have sworn, 
and for whom he would have given his life — friends 
whom formerly he had loaded with distinctions, honors, 
and considerations — indifferent to, or participators in 
this infamous persecution, must have embittered his 
hours. The idea rent the heart of Paez. In the 
silence of his profound grief, no complaint was ever 
heard against them. Scarcely even did he say with 
Ovid: 

Donee eris felix, multos numerabis amicos ; 
Tempera si fuerint nubila, solus eris. 

In hours of sunshine friends shall countless be ; 
Let clouds o'ercast, and lo 1 they fly from thee. 

" Persecuted by the Government and loved by the 



THE EXILE. 



499 



people, he saw that persecution and love mutual- 
ly increased each other, and nourished political 
passions. The very refusal of the Government to re- 
ceive him with the honors of his rank, increased 
much, very much, the enthusiasm of the reception 
which the people of Caracas and other places gave 
him. Finally, not to be an object of discord between 
the people and the Government, he determined to ex- 
patriate himself of his own accord, and left Caracas 
amidst the lamentations of his family and friends, 
and with the sympathies of the entire population. 

Cum repeto noctem qua tot mihi cara reliqui, 
Labitur ex oculis nunc quoque lacryma meis. 

"When in the night I ask me why I've left 

So many faces dear to me, a tear 
From out my bosom, by my sorrow cleft, 

Will start and, welling to my eye, appear. 

" The envy of Castro and of his myrmidons was 
excited even at the hospitable repose which that ven- 
erable man was seeking in a foreign land. Already 
embarked, the order came to detain him, and a Gov- 
ernment vessel started in pursuit. The torments 
which awaited him are no secret now. Fortunately 
he could not be overtaken. His friends notified him, 
a few minutes previously, of the hellish intentions 
of Governor Castro. Supported in the arms of an 
oligarchist and a liberal, of a Creole and a foreigner, 
of a patriot general and a Spaniard — in the arms, in 
fine, of two men, in whom was represented, for the 
occasion, the fusion of all the opposite and conflicting 
political feelings in love for the hero, he was con- 



500 WILD SCENES IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



ducted without the loss of a moment to the Mole, in 
the midst of an immense crowd, who showed by word 
and action the feeling which the great citizen's de- 
parture, and the vile persecution to which he was 
subjected, produced. 

" We accompanied the hero to the act of embarka- 
tion. We witnessed the efforts of the Government 
to seize him, and the public indignation which that 
act of infamous persecution produced in the entire 
population of La Guaira. We are certain that, if the y 
had succeeded in bringing him back, the people would 
willingly have shed their blood to rescue him from 
the fangs of the tigers who thirsted to devour him. 
Providence, which never is tardy in chastising the 
wicked, did not permit a month to pass over before 
Castro found himself in the prison he had prepared 
for Paez, and the people have not ceased to invoke 
his presence as the great friend of all Yenezuelans, and 
have called on him to bring his country the olive of 
peace. 

" Paez, in his second exile, returned to receive from 
the sons of Washington all the attentions and public 
demonstrations which the consistent defender of pop- 
ular liberty and the high priest of the republican 
system deserved. 

" In our attempt to glance at the immense volume 
of Paez's glory, we have scarcely been able to touch 
some prominent points. It is a work of much time, of 
laborious research, and much more intelligence. 

" INow that Venezuela has conquered" [for a time] 
" the rebellion against her institutions, and the legiti- 
macy of her Government has shown the omnipotence 



THE EXILE. 



501 



of her power, the Yice-President turns his eyes to the 
founder of our republic, to call him to her bosom, that 
he may contribute, with the great power of his vast 
sympathies, and with the wisdom of his counsels, to 
the re-establisment of peace and harmony amongst 
all Venezuelans. 

" We congratulate Mr. Tovar on such a very just 
and proper measure, and hope that our Congress, imi- 
tating the great Convention which yielded the mag- 
nanimity of this act to the executive power alone, may 
grant an honorable recall to the great citizen, to 
whom we owe independence, nationality, and civil 
power. There will not be even one member of Con- 
gress who will not glory in aiding with his vote an 
act which justice, gratitude, national dignity, and the 
0 pride of the Venezuelan name demand. 

" Caracas, May 3, 1859. 



In conclusion, I will add that, notwithstanding the 
state of anarchy then reigning in the country, and 
the almost unanimous wish of the contending 
parties to submit to the arbitrament of General 
Paez, the guardians of public safety did not see fit 
to recall him officially until it was too late for him 
to be of much service. The fear of strengthening his 
popularity — should he succeed in settling the pend- 
ing difficulties — appears to have had more weight 
with them than the paramount exigency of averting 
a war of castes. Well has Darwin said, in his account 
of Buenos Ayres : " That country will have to learn, 
like every other South American State, that a repub- 



502 WILD SCENES IN SOUTH AMERICA. 

lie cannot succeed till it contains a certain body of 
men imbued with the principles of justice and honor." 

And now, patient reader, having accomplished my 
task to the best of my ability, I bid you farewell, 
trusting that our peculiar mode of warfare — into 
which I have unavoidably led you — has proved no 
less novel and exciting than the rest of these Wild 
Scenes. 



THE END. 



J 



